


Lost and Found

by manychickens



Category: Stardew Valley
Genre: A Whole Mess, F/M, Fluff, Harvey is not super shy, I'm here for the people, Romance, Smut, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, end game Harvey tho, if u want a lil context before that tho start at Chapter 7, kinda slow burn, no shade but if you're just looking for Harvey smut it starts Chapter 8, this is so self indulgent I’m sorry, what will happen? tbh I don’t know
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-05
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-02-27 11:48:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 89,188
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22136575
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/manychickens/pseuds/manychickens
Summary: Rainier wasn’t sure what she wanted, but she sure was trying.Farmer comes to town, farmer falls in love, you know the drill.[UPDATE: As of 02/13/2021, Chapters 1-6 have been reworked for continuity and style. Plot ultimately remains the same, it's just not so painful to read.]
Relationships: Harvey/Female Player (Stardew Valley), Harvey/Player (Stardew Valley), Player/Villagers (Stardew Valley), Sebastian/Female Player (Stardew Valley), Sebastian/Player (Stardew Valley)
Comments: 59
Kudos: 160
Collections: stardew valley





	1. Chapter One

Lewis was not lying. A little rough around the edges might have been an understatement, actually. The farm was definitely no longer in it’s glory days. The stories Rainier was told about Celestial Farm as a child boasted of lush fields of crops and a beautiful forest of trees with two ponds tucked away in it. Many, many years later, the farm was mostly reclaimed by the nature it was built on, the forest line creeping forward, no more than five feet of cleared land in any direction. 

The porch she stood on creaked in a way that would definitely need to be addressed, but for now, all there was to do was start. It started with one overgrown patch of weeds. Then chopping up a few of the larger fallen branches. Hours flew by quickly, and Rainier felt her arms shaking with exhaustion, her shirt drenched with sweat. 

Sitting down on the porch, she looked at the small patch she had been able to clear, and laughed. Who would have thought that she would be here, swinging an axe and pulling weeds. As unlikely as it seemed, she felt alive in a way she had never felt. It had been palpable beneath her skin from the moment she decided to take over her late grandfather’s farm. The feeling was akin to nervousness, but now that she was here, hands covered in dirt, she knew she was exactly where she was supposed to be. 

The sun was still out, and Rainier saw that her watch only read noon. She glanced at the tools laying on the ground, then at the field that was very far from being a farm, knowing she should try and clear a little more. The ache in her arms that hadn’t done more than type in years, begged her not to. 

Lewis had said that the folks of Pelican Town might be a little wary of a stranger, but insisted that she not be shy, and make sure to introduce herself to everyone. He made that sound so easy, but the task seemed daunting. Rainier sighed, standing back up on the rickety porch, and giving herself a pep talk as she changed into something not so dirty.

After getting lost, then finding her way, only to get lost again, Rainier had made her way through the people north of the farm. Linus was wary of her as a stranger but offered to show her the best foraging spots. Robin’s family was kind, her daughter just seemed eager to see another woman her age moving to town. Sebastian, her son, was pulling off the whole brooding and mysterious thing. 

“Rainier just moved from the city.” Robin explained, trying to pour more coffee into everyone’s cup. Rainier politely shifted her cup to the side, not wanting to overstay her welcome, knowing there was a whole town of people left to meet. 

Sebastian raised his eyebrows at mention of the city, no longer feigning interest. “Why the hell—” he started. “Sebastian,” Robin sneered, warning him about his language. 

Sebastian rolled his eyes, beginning again, “Why in the world would you want to move here?”

Rainier answered with a shrug, just saying, “I wanted to be a farmer.” 

Sebastian nodded back at this, not quite understanding. Rainier stood from the table, thanking Robin for her hospitality and accepting an eager hug from Maru, who said quietly, “I’m so glad you’re here.”

Even though she felt awkward, she felt grateful. It definitely wasn’t like the city, but this kindness felt like something she could get used to. “I am too.”

By the time the sun began to set, Rainier had shook hands and or hugged almost everyone in town. Her feet hurt from all the walking, and her cheeks hurt from all the smiling. There was one last stop to make at the clinic before she would be done. Walking up to the door, she saw the sign that posted the hours out of the corner of her eye. Looking closer, she saw that they were already closed. 

Sighing, Rainier let her head fall forward to rest on the glass pane of the door. She was tired, exhausted in most forms of the word, and this felt like one drop more than the bucket could hold. Rainier moved to stand up straight and said aloud, as if to convince herself, “That’s alright, we can just come back tomorrow.” 

She only made it a few steps back in what she hoped was the direction of the farm before she heard the door opening. Turning on her heels, her eyes went wide, “I’m sorry,” she stuttered, “I know you’re closed, I was just leaving.”

A tall man stood in the doorway, glasses perched low on his nose and brown hair tousled. The tie around his neck was loose, the first two buttons of his collared shirt undone, and the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. 

“You must be Rainier,” he said, taking a step forward and extending his hand, Rainier moved to meet him, reaching her hand out to meet his, cheeks burning red with embarrassment, “I’m Harvey, the town doctor.” 

“Yes, it’s nice to meet you. I won’t keep you too long, I just wanted to introduce myself,” she explained, worried as soon as it came out that she was rambling. Harvey smiled, one hand keeping the door propped open, the other fiddling with a pen now. “I’m glad you stopped by, Mayor Lewis mentioned that you were coming to take over Celestial Farm. We are all very excited to have a farmer back in town.”

Rainier shifted where she stood, the word farmer still didn’t sound like a word that would describe her. “Ah, that’s so nice,” she let out a small laugh, “I’m not sure you could call me a farmer yet though.”

Harvey gave a soft, attentive smile, chuckling, “Well, you live and work on a farm, don’t you? Sounds like a farmer to me.” 

She smiled back, “Yeah, I guess I am.”

Bidding him goodbye, the smile stayed on her face as she began walking down the dirt path back to the farm. The sun was starting to set now, the sounds of the creatures in the trees transitioning. 

Harvey was right. She was a farmer now.

—

Days had turned to weeks, and before Rainier knew it she had quite the routine going. Everyday started early, she wasn’t much of a morning person before, but it felt different now. Even though she was the most tired she had ever been in her life, she still felt excited to get out of bed every day. 

Spring had drawn to a close and she couldn’t believe how different the farm looked now. Rainier had a modest field going, even a coop with a few chickens. Every time one of her crops was ready to harvest she felt a special kind of joy bubble in her chest. It wasn’t much, it only started with fifteen parsnips, but it felt so tangible. Like she had accomplished something. 

Pelican Town was an adjustment. It seemed like everyone had a special place within the community. It was so close knit that sometimes Rainier worried how she would fit into it. All of the spring festivals had come and gone and Rainier couldn’t help but feel like an outsider at each one. At the egg festival she watched as everyone joyfully cracked open their decorated eggs, delighting in the spoils. Rainier quietly slipped away with the few she had found and opened them by herself at the farm, trying not to tear up about it. When Mayor Lewis had mentioned the Flower Dance she knew she wouldn’t be dancing with anyone, but still looked forward to celebrating. The day of she put on a sundress, something she hadn’t sported in months. All of the scrapes and bruises on her legs stuck out to her but even then, she felt a little nicer than usual. When she got to the field she wasn’t surprised to see everyone had already paired up with their dance partners. She smiled as they all danced, her stomach turning as a few of the older folks in town gave her a pitying smile. It wasn’t that everyone wasn’t nice. They were plenty nice, but it didn’t feel like the conversations could go further than pleasantries. 

Perhaps Rainier was lonely. No lonelier than she was when she was in Zuzu. Lonely nonetheless. 

—

Seeds. So many seeds. Pierre had spread his selection of seeds for the season out on the counter for Rainier, rambling on about how they were the finest selection in the whole valley. She hummed in response to his musing, only half listening, most of her focus on reading the information on the back of the seed packets.

“You won’t find seeds like these at JoJo Mart. These here will produce the best fruits and vegetables you’ve ever tasted, just you wait.” he boasted.

Rainier looked around the shop as Pierre rang her up, admiring how quaint it was. All of the shelves were wooden and they didn’t sprawl as far the eye could see like most commercial grocery marts. The shelves weren’t stocked to the brim with the traditional bright plastic packaging she was used to seeing. Most of the store was fresh produce, dairy, and eggs from nearby farms. There was a fresh baked goods section with local breads and sweets. 

Turning, she followed the quiet humming behind her to find Dr. Harvey looking at produce. After inspecting two apples, he carefully placed them into the basket in his hand. Rainier hadn’t seen him much since their introduction, only at festivals and in passing, and she found him to be one of the most curious people in town. Deciding to stop staring, she turned back to the register where Pierre was boxing up the rest of her seeds. 

“Alright, Rainier, you’re good to go.” Pierre said, sliding the box across the counter. “Thank you.” she smiled, getting ready to walk away.

Knowing Pierre, she should’ve known it would be that easy. “You’ve done a whole season in Pelican Town now! How crazy is that.”

Rainier let out a light chuckle, box still in her hands. “Yoba, you’re telling me.”

Pierre laughed back, nodding his head. “Are you making any friends? Abigail tells me she doesn’t see you at the saloon, or anywhere really, very often.”

A familiar blush rose on her cheeks, her introverted ways embarrassing her, “Ah, no. You know I’ve just been adjusting. I don’t seem to leave the farm too often, unless it’s coming to see you.”

In true dad fashion, Pierre gave Rainier a knowing smile, assuring her, “Well don’t worry. I’m sure you’ll have plenty of friends soon. If you want a secret from me, bring them little gifts. Everyone here has something they can’t resist.”

Intrigued, she let her hands drop from the box and listened. “Like Dr. Harvey back there.” Pierre gestured, lowering his voice a bit, “Coffee. Absolute fiend for the stuff, maybe even a bit of a coffee snob. Based on his purchases here, also loves a good bottle of wine, and pickles.”

Resisting the urge to pull out her phone and take notes, Rainier continued to nod, feeling like she was being let in on a secret.

“Oh, and let me think.” Pierre continued, leaning his elbows on the counter and resting his head in his hands, a little too happy to be having this little gossip session. “Shane, you know, miserable guy, loves hot peppers. Abigail’s buds: Sebastian loves sashimi and pumpkin soup, Sam, unsurprisingly, likes pizza.”

Rainier was desperately trying to make note of all of this in her head, surprised that she hadn’t thought of it yet. With a laugh, she said, “So I just bribe them to be my friends.”

“Exactly,” Pierre gave her a wink, “I could go on and on. Elliot likes lobster and pomegranates. Leah can’t resist wine and goat cheese. Penny loves a good melon.”

Grabbing the box off the counter again, Rainier thanked Pierre for his help. “I suppose I don’t have any excuses now.”

Nodding, Pierre stood back up. “You’re young, Rainier. Better put yourself out there, you’ll have more fun that way. Can’t just spend all your time working.”

As she turned to walk out of the store, she made eye contact with Harvey, who was making his way towards the register. He greeted her, smiling, “Hello, Rainier.” 

“How are you, Dr. Harvey?” Rainier asked, stopping and resting the box on her hip. 

A slight look of surprise crossed his face, something Rainier wasn’t quite able to read. “I’m good! People don’t get sick much during the summer. That’s nice.”

Before she could say anything in response, “Guess I don’t get asked that a lot,” he laughed, “How are you?”

Rainier watched as he pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose, then running the same hand back through his hair, pushing the bit of overgrown fringe from hanging over his lenses. His hair was a bit longer during the summer, just slightly. Rainier wondered if he always let it grow out in the summer. Or maybe he just hadn’t gotten around to getting a haircut. Snapping out of it, she shifted the box in her hands so the edge wasn’t rubbing on the bandage she had wrapped around her palm, covering the blisters she had amounted. “I’m good, I’m adjusting, but I’m good.”

Harvey’s gaze had fallen to the box in her hands, his eyes almost comically zooming in on the bandage. 

“Have you gotten hurt?” He asked, and Rainier felt herself blushing for the second time today, shaking her head, “Oh no, it’s nothing it’s just a few—”

“Can I take a look?” he asked, already placing his basket on the ground to free up his hands. Rainier let him take the box from her hands, watching as he carefully set it on the ground between them. He looked up for permission to grab her hand, and Rainier lifted it up, surprised when he took it into one of his, already peeking beneath the bandage. 

“It’s just blisters. Got them from using the tools, guess my hands aren’t quite used to it yet.” she explained.

A small hum of understanding came from Harvey’s throat, his eyes still trained on the redness beneath the bandage. “It looks a little red. Has it been bothering you at all?” 

Rainier craned her neck to try and see what he was looking at, surprised at how small her hand looked in his bigger palms. “Not particularly, it’s been a bit tender.”

“Okay,” he said quizzically, “Please keep an eye on it though, and make sure to keep it clean. Wouldn’t want it to get infected.” 

Rainier sheepishly smiled at him, letting her hand fall back to her side as he pulled his hands out from underneath it. “I will. Thank you, Dr. Harvey.” 

He smiled, bending to hand her the box back and picking up his own basket. Out of everyone Rainier had met in Pelican Town, Dr. Harvey felt like the hardest to read. Calm and polite, he always gave smiles that seemed too friendly to be for her. At the same time, she could see his nervousness in small ways. The way he couldn’t quite figure out what to do with his hands after she had pulled away, the way he shifted his feet where he was standing, just barely noticeable.

Pierre laughed in the background, “That’s Dr. Harvey for you, always giving medical advice that you didn’t ask for.”

Harvey rolled his eyes, looking back to Rainier again, “Have a nice afternoon, Rainier. And don’t work yourself too hard.”

She wasn’t sure if she was blushing again or if the warmth just hadn’t left her cheeks this whole time. “You as well.”

Harvey turned and headed to Pierre, “I’ll remember that next time you ask me to look at another one of your mystery freckles, Pierre.”

Pierre did another one of his guttural laughs, eyes crinkling at the corners. Rainier couldn’t help but chuckle too, making her way out of the door. Just as the door clicked behind her, Rainier noticed Mayor Lewis standing at the town board. 

Thinking that maybe she could walk by without being seen, she began heading back towards the farm, only to be stopped with a booming, “Rainier!”

Turning on her heels, she gave him a smile, widening her eyes as if to feign surprise. “Mayor Lewis! How are you?”

Not listening, he went off on one of his tangents, “I am so glad to see you today. You know I was just thinking to myself, I wonder what Rainier is doing with the farm this summer? You must be growing blueberries, aren’t you? I love a good blueberry.”

Rainier smiled politely as he rambled, nodding as he continued, “Your grandfather grew the best blueberries I ever had, I’ll tell you that. Absolutely delightful. Well, I’ll let you get going, I know you must be busy.”

Giving another nod, Rainier opened her mouth to say goodbye, but Mayor Lewis beat her to it, continuing, “Oh! It’s Friday. You know the saloon gets pretty lively on a Friday night. I haven’t seen you there yet, but you should come tonight.”

Remembering what Pierre said, Rainier surprised herself when she said, “Sure, I’ll be there.”

—

“Okay,” Rainier breathed, rubbing her clammy palms down the fabric covering her thighs, “Just go inside.”

It was dark in the square now, just a few of the street lamps glowing. Rainier could hear the sound of music and chatter even standing outside of the saloon. Even though she had met everyone already, she was nervous like it was the first day in town. The outfit Rainier wore was casual, but she realized without her dirt stained overalls, she felt almost naked.

As soon as Rainier opened the door she began scanning the bar to see who was there tonight. Taking a few steps past the threshold, she heard the door swing closed behind her, the gust of warm air that followed practically pushing her forward towards the bar.

No one looked up from their drinks or conversations, so she quickly walked straight to the bar before they would. Gus’s smile seemed to get even wider when he saw her, almost shouting over the music, “Rainier! Make yourself at home, can I get you anything?”

“I’m not sure what I want, what’s popular?” she asked, taking a seat at one of the stools. Gus smiled at this and immediately went to the tap, filling a glass with a bubbly amber liquid. Setting it on the counter, he slid it across to her. “I’m glad to see you out tonight.”

Rainier took a sip, the cold bubbles a welcome sensation after such a hot day. 

“Wow, this is delicious,” she smiled, taking another big sip, which only made Gus’ smile grow wider, “It’s a cider from the valley. Apples grown just a few miles from here!” 

The pride folks here had in the gifts the valley brought them never failed to make her smile. Rainier hoped in time that she would feel that proud of what she did as well.

“Hey, Rainier,” a voice spoke beside her, rotating a little, she saw that Sebastian had moved from the game room, empty glass in hand. “Haven’t seen you in awhile. How’s the farm thing going?”

Gus, without having to say a thing, accepted Sebastian’s empty glass, filling it back up quickly and putting it right back into his hand. Everyone was so familiar with each other. 

“It’s going,” she chuckled, taking another big sip, “It’s definitely going.” Sebastian nodded, taking his free hand to scratch at the back of his neck. “Well that’s good.”

Before Rainier could ask how he was in return, he had begun to walk away, and she tried not to feel embarrassed, taking another sip of her drink. Looking around again, she tried to make a plan. A million thoughts ran through her mind, _“Should I make rounds, say hello to everyone? Or maybe just sit at the bar, catching people as they get refills?”_

All of the tables had empty chairs, but something about the way everyone was enthralled with their conversations made her think there definitely wasn’t any room for her there. So, sitting at the bar it was. Faster than she expected, she found herself at the bottom of her cider. Gus swooped in without a word, swiping the empty glass and returning it again, this time with a slightly lighter colored drink. 

“I think you’ll like this one as well.” He smiled, with a look in his eyes that was a little more sympathetic than she’d prefer. 

“Thank you.” Rainier muttered, shifting on her stool.

Looking above the rim of her glass, Rainier saw Shane standing by the fireplace, staring forward at nothing in particular. It was sad, and she wondered what it was that had him so low. Part of her wanted to ask, but based on any interactions she had with him, which were only early morning passings with him on his way to work as she ran around town, the looks he gave her made her think that he probably wasn’t interested in casual conversation. 

Rainier kind of wished that she had brought some of her pepper crop that had just ripened enough for harvest with her, maybe that would’ve been enough to break the ice with him tonight. _“Or,”_ Rainier thought, _“People will think you’re weird for showing up at the bar with a basket of hot peppers.”_

The apples of her cheeks had started to warm, and for once not from embarrassment, instead from the alcohol hitting her stomach. Looking around, she noticed that Harvey was sitting by himself as well, his cheeks a little red and eyelids a little low. 

_“He’s cute,”_ Rainer noted tipsily as she continued to inspect his face. Just as she was going to stop staring, his eyes lifted from his book and met her gaze, a smile on his lips. In that split second, Rainier panicked. Her mind raced, _“Do I smile back? Is he trying to communicate with me? What if he is smiling at someone behind you? Should I look to check?”_

Deciding to do something, anything, before he thought she was crazy for possibly ignoring him, Rainier returned the smile, shifting her eyes back to her drink.

Rainier knew she was the opposite of playing it cool at that point, stomach flipping and cheeks burning just because someone smiled. Taking another sip of her drink, Rainier tried not to jump when she noticed Harvey standing up. There were only a few stools between where he was and where she was sitting, and as he rounded the corner of the bar, she realized that he was definitely coming over here.

“Rainier,” he spoke, voice level and smooth, “I am surprised to see you here.”

Rainier set her glass on the counter and straightened her back as he pulled out the adjacent stool and sat down. He had a glass of wine in his hand, taking a drink as she tried to gather her words. 

“Oh,” she laughed, shakier than she hoped to sound, “I’ve been a bit busy on the farm, but Mayor Lewis talked me into coming tonight.”

Harvey hummed, nodding and chuckling, “He can be persuasive. Regardless, I am glad you are here.”

The way her heart was beating Rainier could practically feel the blood moving through every part of her body. He was so polite it hurt.

Everyone around town made jokes about how shy Harvey was, but compared to Rainier right now, he was the smoothest person on Earth. He effortlessly asked her about herself, questions that she realized no one else had really asked yet. That was one thing, and the way he listened was another. It felt like in that moment, he was paying attention to Rainier and only Rainier, giving small nods and quiet hums of acknowledgment.

Maybe she was just starved for attention, but for now, a few drinks in, Rainier was just going to believe that he was actually interested in what she had to say.

Gus was good at his job; maybe too good. As the two of them were chatting, he continued to fill drinks, just waiting for a nod of approval before pouring more. Rainier knew she was at the point where she knew if she stood up she would feel the warmth of the alcohol all the way down to her legs. This also meant that her guard was low enough that she felt much more comfortable talking with Harvey. With the way that Harvey’s laugh had gotten a little louder, Rainier could tell he had relaxed as well.

They both exchanged funny stories from their work, and just as Rainier finished asking him weird questions that she’s always wondered about being a doctor, he took his glasses off his face, using the back of his hands to wipe at his eyes. “You are very funny, Rainier.”

In the background Rainier could hear laughter all throughout the bar, everyone in their own little groups having fun. It felt a little less lonely to be having her own fun too.

“Other than your newfound fear of chickens in numbers, how has farm life been?” Harvey asked, tipping his head back slightly to finish off his glass. Rainier finished her own sip, nodding as she set her glass down, “You know, it is actually really good. I don’t think I’ve ever felt satisfied by my work before. This is tangible though; I see the results of what I do and— and that feels good.” 

It felt weird to say that out loud, to be so honest, and despite being drunk, Rainier almost felt embarrassed by it. Before she could, Harvey spoke, “I understand what you mean, it feels good to have a purpose. To know what you’re doing has meaning.”

A smile broke through her sheepishness, “Yes, exactly. It does.”

“I will have to come see the farm sometime, I can’t remember the last time I was out there.” Harvey said, using his pointer finger to move his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

“I would offer to take you now, just so you could see how intimidating chickens can be, but it’s a little dark.” Rainier teased, a hiccup leaving her throat, making both of them laugh.

“That was so cute.” Harvey said amidst his laughter, eyes crinkled at the corners. Rainier tried not to react, but she couldn’t help but flush at that, just grateful that her cheeks were already red. Cute.

Rainier picked her phone up from where it was laying face down on the bar, glancing at it briefly to check the time, making a displeased sound, “It’s late.”

Harvey looked to the watch on his wrist, wincing, “Oh, that is definitely past my usual bedtime.” Rainier laughed at that, tilting her head back to finish the last of her drink.

Gus quickly came over, ready to give a refill. “Gus, I have to be up in like,” Rainier glanced at her phone again, “6 hours.”

Gus laughed, taking her empty glass, “You’ve been a pleasure, Rainier. Don’t let it be so long before I see you again!”

Smiling, Rainier slid her money towards him, Harvey doing the same. “Here,” Harvey said, handing it to Gus first, “Let me.”

Rainier raised her eyebrows at him, Gus just smiled and walked away. “You didn’t have to do that.” She said, rushed, trying to hand her money to him now. Harvey just laughed, putting one of his hands over hers and gently pushing it back. “No, do not. I can’t remember the last time I laughed like this, it’s on me.”

Rainier feigned a scowl, he just continued laughing, standing from his seat. “C’mon, we’ll walk together.”

The way he was talking to her was sweet, Rainier knew he was being kind because she was a little more drunk than he was, and a little younger from what she could tell.

As she stood to walk to the door, Rainer was surprised when a few folks called out, “Bye Rainier!” 

This made her turn, and when she looked around at everyone that was in the bar, for the first time since moving here, she really felt like she wasn’t alone. Even if it took a bit of alcohol to get there.

The temperature outside had cooled down now that the sun had been set for a while. Rainier welcomed the breeze that was hitting her warm face. A quiet laugh left her mouth when she felt the wobbliness in her legs. Harvey had stuck his hands in his pockets as they walked, digging his keys out. The street lights in the square illuminated the clinic door, and Rainier tried not to feel disappointed as she realized that meant they were going separate ways.

“Well,” Rainier started, bringing her eyes back to Harvey, “Thank you for hanging out with me tonight.” 

It was cheesy, but she really did feel grateful. Harvey smiled, “Of course. I enjoyed your company.”

Rainier began to turn on her heels, looking at the dark path, that unlike the town square, was not as well lit. “I will see you around, have a good night, Harvey.”

Before she could set off, Harvey spoke up, “Are you sure you are comfortable walking back?”

It made her smile to hear him offer, but she knew she’d be fine. “Of course, if I can raise chickens, I’m pretty sure I can do anything.”

This made Harvey laugh again, and Rainier took one more look at his red cheeks and low eyelids before turning to head down the path. She tried to ignore the feeling of Harvey watching as she walked away, and when she heard the clinic door click shut, Rainier let out a deep breath.

Cute.

— 

Summer was in full swing and Rainier was drowning in bright, fresh produce. Robin had finished building the barn, and two baby cows from Marnie followed. With each new addition to the farm the sounds changed, and Rainier was happy to hear the experimental mooing of her calves as they grazed the grass on the farm. 

With a heavy basket full of precariously stacked tomatoes resting on her hip, Rainier made her way to the shipping bin, her breath coming out in short puffs. As she carefully placed them into the bin with the blueberries and melons she had already gathered that day, she let out a sigh of relief. Closing the lid, Rainier walked over to the porch and took a seat on the ledge, wiping the sweat from her brow and grabbing her water bottle with her other hand. 

With fall already on the horizon, Rainier realized how quickly this summer had gone. While things were feeling more familiar, she still felt aware of how little she made it into town to socialize. When Rainier left the city she had made promises to herself, that this wasn’t just going to be a career change, it was going to change her whole life. She knew it wouldn’t be like a switch that flipped and stopped her from being shy ever again, but she thought she would put herself out there more than she did.

The gifts helped, she talked more to folks as she was running errands around town, but she found herself occupied with her farm tasks and spending time in the mines. 

Everyone had warned her that she shouldn’t go into the mines. Marlon seemed to be the only one that had any confidence that she could, and even he was apprehensive. Rainier hoped to have a sprinkler system installed by next spring, and in order to do that she needed quite a bit of ore. So, everyday for the last few weeks, after tending to the animals and watering the crops, she ate lunch and headed to the mines, her sword in tow and some snacks packed in case she got tired.

Grandpa told stories of the creatures of the mines, and as a child Rainier hung to every word, jumping as he spoke of slimes of all different colors. As she got older the thought had disappeared from her mind, but once she met them in the mines she realized her grandfather had prepared her. What he had not prepared her for, were the other creatures of the mines, the stronger, more elusive creatures. The kind that she was wary to tell anyone that she saw, in fear that they would accuse her of hallucinating because of the lack of oxygen down there. 

Now that the old mine elevator was in order, it was much easier to go further and with each ding of the floors going past, Rainier felt her stomach twist with nervousness for what she would find today. The numbers glowed as she descended further into the Earth, and she was in awe of the fact that she had made it as far as floor 90, and wondered how much further she would have to go until she reached the bottom. Anytime she asked Marlon about it he said something that sounded like a riddle, eluding to the fact that no one really knew. Rainier thought that maybe she didn’t need to find out.

Today, though, she was in pursuit of gold. It was the last of the ore she needed to make into bars to make herself some quality sprinklers, and as soon as she had the money she would be able to start upgrading her tools with Clint. Stepping off the elevator, she sighed when she realized this floor wasn’t as well lit as she would like, but she moved forward anyway, slowly, taking care to glance all around her. The usual screech of a bat alerted her and she raised her sword, quickly deflecting it before pulling her pickaxe out to get to work.

Five floors later Rainier was feeling tired, but she knew that she wanted to go just a little further, then she might not even need to go back for a few days. Rounding the corner, she was surprised to see quite a few of the red sludges gathered together and a couple lava bats curled up on the ceiling. For a split second, she considered turning around and calling it a day, but before she could the sound of her boots on the gravel caught the attention of the creatures, and they immediately lunged for her. 

Yelping, Rainier lifted her sword, doing her best to fight them off as they came, but as one stunned her another lunged, and she felt herself getting weaker under their attack. 

— 

“Rainier! Rainier, wake up, try and open your eyes.” Linus called, hand bracing Rainier’s shoulder and giving it a few good shakes. 

As Rainier woke up she let out a wince, slowly opening her eyes, surprised to see Linus leaning over her. “I found you unconscious in the mines. You’re lucky I happened to pass by! Be a little more careful next time, okay?”

The sound of Linus’s voice was hushed as her ears rang, but Rainier managed to croak out a, “Wait, you’ve been going down in the mines too?”

Linus laughed at this, standing up from where he was kneeling on the ground, “Well, at least I know you’re okay.” He said, extending a hand in hopes to get Rainier to stand, “Still asking questions like you always do, my curious friend.”

Rainier shrugged her shoulders, wincing again at the pain it brought, “Ah, fuck.” 

The curse made Linus chuckle, and he made special care not to tug too hard on her arms as he helped her stand. Rainier gave a small wobble but was able to stand on her own. Tears starting to burn at her eyes from a mix of embarrassment and realizing what had happened, “Thank you, Linus,”

“We should really take you to the clinic.” Linus insisted, offering his arm as they started walking. Rainier, limping a little, quickly responded, “No, no.”

She shook her head, only to tense at the pain that brought her shoulder, “No, that won’t be necessary. It’s not even that bad.”

Linus’ brow furrowed, not saying anything else as they walked around the lake. As they came around the corner and Robin’s house came into sight, Linus stopped walking, looking towards the path. He insisted again, looking pointedly towards town, “Rainier.”

“Linus, really, it’s not that bad, I just need to rest.” Rainier sighed, her fatigue making her less pleasant than she hoped to be. Linus had become a friend of hers, every day on her way to the mines she would stop by his campsite, bringing him any fresh produce she had that day or any good foraging finds. 

Both of them jumped when they heard a voice ask, “What’s not that bad?” Robin slid her work gloves off her hands, setting them on the table saw that was illuminated by the lights on the side of her house, a curious look on her face. Linus said nothing when Rainier turned to him, hoping he would talk her out of this. As she turned back to Robin, Linus spoke up, “I found her passed out in the mines.” 

Rainier opened her mouth to speak, but before she could Robin took a few steps further, her eyes getting wider. “Rainier, is that blood? What happened?”

Rainier looked to Linus again, who only gave her an, _“I told you so.”_ face. 

“Hm?” Rainier asked, feigning dumb and looking at her shirt

Robin was in peak mom mode, grabbing her arm and inspecting for any further injuries. As she turned the arm in her hands, Rainier tried to fight back a wince, her shoulder burning. This made Robin stop, grab her other arm, and begin pulling her in towards the path to town. 

“Robin—” Rainier started, limping behind her, looking back to Linus who was fighting back a chuckle as he waved goodbye. 

“Do not!” Robin interrupted her, “You went into the mines?”

Feeling like a kid again, Rainier sputtered, “I mean, yes, but I didn’t—”

“You didn’t what? Go willingly into the mines?” Robin wasn’t interested in letting her finish her sentence. Rainier decided to stop talking, just letting Robin pull her along, wincing every few steps as she tried to keep up. “I bet you weren’t even going to go see Dr. Harvey were you? What were you thinking?”

Robin had grown very fond of Rainier, she wanted to make sure that someone was looking out for her, and felt oddly protective, almost motherly. She made a habit of checking in on her every few days, always requesting that she come over for dinner. Not wanting to anger her further, Rainier sighed, “I wasn’t thinking.” 

It was dark now, and Rainier wondered what Robin was doing working so late anyway. Late. It dawned on her that it must be past 11:00 PM by now, and Harvey was likely asleep.

Panicking, Rainier tried to slow Robin’s pace down, “You know,” she started, making Robin look behind her, raising her eyebrows, “You must be tired, why were you working this late anyway? Why don’t you head home and I’ll take myself the rest of the way.” 

Robin wasn’t interested in her distractions, answering as she continued to walk, “I have a coop I need to take to Grampleton tomorrow, I was finishing up the final touches. And no chance, I am passing you right to Dr. Harvey.”

Ignoring the pain burning through her body, Rainier continued to plead, “I really don’t feel that bad, Robin! I just need rest. Dr. Harvey is probably asleep by now anyway, I will just go see him in the morning.”

Turning the corner into the square, the clinic in sight, Robin shook her head, “Dr. Harvey will not mind at all, he is a _doctor_ , don’t try and get out of this.”

Now accepting her fate, Rainier came to stop at the door, Robin began incessantly knocking on the glass while pulling her phone from her pocket. Within a few clicks she was calling Harvey, releasing Rainier’s wrist to put her hand on her hip. The phone rang for quite a bit, and Rainier briefly had hope that maybe they wouldn’t be able to get a hold of him, and she could head home. 

As the universe would have it, she would have no such luck, and Harvey picked up. Robin dramatically began to recount the tale, “Dr. Harvey, you have to come down to the clinic, Rainier was in the mines and she _passed out_ now she is _bleeding_.” 

Harvey hung up immediately, and Robin pulled her phone from her ear, checking to see why the line went dead, but before she could call him back the light of Harvey’s apartment upstairs turned on. Rainier stood in silence for a moment, while Robin stared at her. 

“It’s nice out tonight, isn’t it?” Rainier attempted to make small talk, anything to break her stare. Unphased, Robin asked, “Rainier, why would you go into the mines?” 

Shifting where she stood, Rainier knew better than to shrug with her shoulder and instead opted for honesty, “I go to gather ore for tools for my farm.” 

She explained with her voice cracking, “I need better tools and I need to get a sprinkler system. I need the sprinkler system so I have more time, then I won’t have to spend so much time watering my crops.” 

Rainier knew she was doing the thing where she got upset and started talking too fast, but couldn’t stop, “And I need more time because I spend my whole day with my fucking cows and I— I am really,” she was crying now, “I am so lonely, Robin, I— I am so lonely.”

A full sob broke from Rainier’s throat, her upper body slumping forward and her hands coming up to wipe at the tears on her face, “I wanted to come here, I chose it. I left the life I had because I wanted to be a farmer.”

Robin took a step forward and put a hand on Rainier’s better shoulder, just hoping to comfort her. “Yoba, who does that? Just decides to become a farmer?”

“Rainier,” Robin tried, voice gentle, used to many meltdowns similar to this with her own children. 

“No— It’s just, I’m sorry, I just have no idea what I’m doing, Robin.” Rainier interrupted, “I wasn’t happy before, and I like what I do now, I really do, but I still have no idea what I’m doing. Yoba, that doesn’t even make sense. Just, why am I not happy?”

Robin had nothing to say, just allowing Rainier to let it out. 

“Why am I not happy?” She repeated, quieter this time, her body deflating all the way now that she was done. Silence fell between them again, just the sound of Rainier breathing heavily filling the cool evening air. Neither of them heard the door opening during the outburst, and both of them jumped when Harvey spoke, calm as ever, “Rainier.” 

The sound made her stand up straight, another sob wracking her body when she looked at Harvey, who’s hair was fluffy and eyes were small with sleep. Robin put a hand on Rainier’s back, guiding her towards the door. Harvey took a step to the side, opening the door all the way, letting Rainier walk through.

Robin and Harvey shared a look as Rainier let herself inside, walking through the double doors towards the beds in the back exam room. “Linus found her passed out in the mines, I think her shoulder is hurt, she’s also pretty bruised up. I think she’s just a bit overwhelmed.” 

Harvey nodded, giving a sad smile as the sound of Rainier’s sniffles drifted to the door. “Thank you for bringing her. I’ll give you a call tomorrow.”

Robin gave the same sheepish smile back, “Thank you, Dr. Harvey.” 

Harvey shut the door, fumbling in his coat pockets to see if he had everything he needed after rushing to get ready. Grabbing his stethoscope and draping it over his neck, he headed to the exam room, where he found Rainier sitting on the edge of one of the beds, legs dangling above the ground. She looked up to him with teary eyes, Harvey gave her a once over, noting the crusted blood on her arm and the dirt that covered her hands. 

“Dr. Harvey,” Rainier started, immediately noticing how oddly formal that felt on her tongue, “I’m sorry, I know it’s late, I’m really fine I— I’ll just head home.”

Harvey shook his head, pulling his stool up and taking a seat in front of her. “Do not apologize, this is my job after all.”

Rainier took a breath, getting ready to try again, but Harvey continued, “Anyway, we’re both here now, might as well check it out, yeah?”

A sense of ease came over Rainier as he spoke, and she watched as he rolled back a bit on his stool to grab a pair of gloves, snapping them onto his hands as he rolled back to where she was. 

“May I take a look?” He asked, and Rainier nodded silently. 

Harvey rose to his feet again, coming to stand at her side and pulling his stethoscope out. 

“This may be a little cold.” He warned, sliding the bell beneath her shirt and pressing it lightly into her upper back. Rainier shivered at the contact, and willed her heart rate to stay down. 

After taking her vitals, Harvey slid his gloved hand out from beneath her shirt and slung his stethoscope back around his neck. Rainier adjusted to sit up straight, wincing as she flexed her shoulder. Harvey noted the sound and took a seat on his stool again. “Your pulse was a bit high, but other than that you seem very healthy.”

Rainier nodded, and Harvey continued, “Now let me see about these injuries.” Taking her leg into his hand, he moved it around a little, stretching and bending it. There were bruises and a few scrapes but nothing major. Rainier watched in awe, for the second time surprised by how large his hands were. “Your shoulder is bothering you, is that a sharp pain or a burning sensation?”

“Both?” Rainier offered tentatively. Harvey hummed in acknowledgement as he stood again. He cupped her good shoulder with one hand, requesting, “Tell me if this hurts, okay?” 

Gently, he checked the range of motion, careful not to move it too much as he felt around the tissue. Rainier took a deep breath as he raised her arm higher, trying to bear it. Harvey could tell she was in pain and stopped, putting her arm back down slowly. “Well, the good news,” he started, sitting back down on his stool so he wasn’t towering over her, “Nothing is broken.”

“The bad news,” he peeled his gloves off and tossed them into the waste bin behind him, “Is that you do seem to have sprained your shoulder, and because we don’t know why you passed out in the mines, I can’t rule out a concussion.”

Rainier nodded, “Okay, so sprain isn’t that bad though, right? Sprain is good.”

“Well, no,” Harvey gave a sad smile, “It’s not good, but it isn’t the worst?” 

Thinking about it some more, she began to worry, remembering that she used her body for the work she did every day now. There was one harvest left this summer, and Rainier felt herself getting worked up again. Harvey watched as she processed, seeing the way her eyes started to water up. “You’ll need to wear a sling for two weeks, as long as you let it rest for that time you should heal up well.” 

“Two weeks?” Rainier asked, exasperated, “I still have crops left this season, and next week I’ll start my fall crops. I can’t just not work—”

Harvey reached out, putting a reassuring hand over her knee. “Rainier.” He spoke, and Rainier stopped to listen, “Take a breath.”

Listening, she followed as Harvey took a deep breath through his nose, held it, and let it back out through his mouth. They stayed like that for a moment, just breathing, and Rainier felt very aware of how tired she was. “Good.” Harvey broke the silence, pulling his hand back and grabbing another pair of gloves. “I’m going to clean up your scrapes, and then you’re going to rest.”

Rainier didn’t say anything but watched as he wet a cotton swab with some kind of peroxide and swiped it gently over the broken skin on her arm, repeating with clean swabs until the dried blood was gone. Harvey’s sense of calm was relaxing, and Rainier could tell that made him a good doctor. He moved quickly but did not fumble as he wrapped her arm up, and Rainier couldn’t help but joke, “It’s like you’ve done this before.”

Harvey chuckled at that, standing from his rolling stool to open a cabinet, pulling a cotton sling out and adjusting it. “Maybe once or twice.” 

They didn’t speak as Harvey maneuvered the sling under her arm and over her head, Rainier just let herself be moved, surprised that it didn’t hurt as he adjusted her arm, he was so gentle. Settled, Harvey took his gloves back off and turned to write something down on the notepad by the sink. He turned back to her with a small light pen, clicking it a few times as he came to stand in front of her. “I just want to check your pupils, can you look straight ahead at me?”

Rainier obliged, deciding to focus on his mustache as the light traveled back and forth across her eyes. “Alright, now try and follow the light for me.” 

After a few moments of that Harvey clicked the pen back off, sliding it into his coat pocket and sitting back down so she didn’t have to look up at him. “I think you’re good to go. I’ll want to check on your shoulder later this week, I’ll have Maru give you a call to remind you to come in. You shouldn’t be too busy, however, because you need to let this shoulder rest, Rainier.”

Rainier nodded, lip already quivering at the idea of not being able to work. “Because I cannot rule out a concussion, you really shouldn’t go back to the farm by yourself tonight. It’s late, but I know you won’t be comfortable staying in the clinic.” Rainier could tell that he was thinking as he spoke, struggling with the choice, but Rainier interrupted him, “I can stay here?”

Harvey raised his eyebrows surprised, “You’re comfortable with that?” 

Rainier nodded, absolutely exhausted, already maneuvering her body to try and lay back. The clinic sheets were so sterile that they felt a bit rough against her tender skin, but she didn’t mind, because it felt so good to lean back against the propped up bed. 

The sling made it hard to get into the position that she usually slept in, but she carefully lifted her legs up onto the bed, effectively curling into a ball on her side. Harvey watched, ready to assist, but was surprised when Rainier quickly settled in, her eyes already closing. He couldn’t help but smile as her breathing started to slow down and the furrow left her brow. 

Now that she was relaxed, Harvey turned his back to her, writing down some notes, and making a mental note to ask Maru to make Rainier a chart tomorrow. 

“Harvey?” Rainier called, voice a bit scratchy. 

“Yes?” Harvey replied, shifting to face her, pen still in hand. 

Rainier spoke with her eyes still closed, “Thank you.” 


	2. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoops

“How does that feel?” Harvey asked as he gently removed her sling, guiding her arm to relax down at her side. Rainier almost didn’t respond, her mind too focused on being able to feel Harvey’s warmth from where he was standing behind her. Snapping out of it, she gave a non-committal hum, not really feeling anything. 

A few days had passed and Rainier was feeling much better. With all the time she had to rest, she was able to head up the mountain to apologize for what happened that evening. After a very long talk about being safer, and a very long hug, all was well. Robin insisted that she not worry about what happened, telling her that it’s good that she released it. In true mom fashion, she also made sure to remind her that there was always a lesson to be learned, and in this case, the lesson was to not go in the mines  _ ever  _ again. Rainier took her word for it, feeling a little lighter herself having had a good, albeit very embarrassing, cry. 

“And this?” Harvey used his palm to force her elbow flat, sticking her arm out straight in front of her. Rainier gave her head a shake, “Feels normal.”

Now Harvey hummed in response, slowly bringing her arm back down to her side and sliding the sling back into the place. Coming out from behind her, he scribbled a few things into her chart before sitting in front of her on his stool. “Everything looks good, you’re healing up well.” 

Rainier nodded, giving an almost mischievous smile. “Does this mean—” she started to ask, but Harvey stopped her before she could finish, “No, that’s a big no.”

“You’ll be good to go in a week or so, just take it easy for a bit longer, please.” Harvey practically pleaded. Rainier gave a sigh and slid off the exam table, planting her feet on the ground, now taller than Harvey where he sat on his stool. “Are you going to the festival tonight?” 

Harvey had started to scribble in the chart again, stopping to look up and ask, “Is that tonight?

“Mhm. The Moonlight Jellies.” Rainier replied, adjusting her sling as she started taking steps toward the door. Harvey let out a small sigh, pushing his glasses further up the bridge of his nose with this index finger, and then pushing the fringe of his hair back off his forehead. “I have quite a bit of paperwork to do, I’m not sure–”

“Only happens once a year,” Rainier interrupted, almost in a sing-song voice, now standing in the hallway. She let out a small chuckle as she quoted Demetrius, who had really been trying to push the event, “A natural phenomena unique to the valley.” 

Harvey opened his mouth to speak again, but closed it, knowing she was right. This made Rainier smile, eyes crinkling a bit at the corners, “I will see you there. I’ll have more pickles, too.”

“Well if there will be pickles, that changes things.” Harvey participated in the banter, thinking to himself,  _ “I already wanted to go if you were going.” _

The thought made his cheeks light up, and he was grateful to see she was already out of sight and unable to see his blush, the bell on the front door ringing out as she pushed it open. 

“Only for you, Dr. Harvey.” She teased back, the door swinging shut behind her.

—

Rainier found herself hurrying to the beach after getting distracted with some last minute, very slow, one-armed harvesting of the last of the summer crops. She carried a small bag in her hand, the jar of pickles she brought for Harvey bouncing around inside it. 

The sound of people got louder as she crossed over the bridge and the shock of the cool sand on her exposed feet made her gasp. Everyone was spread out across the beach, some people perched on the dock. Rainier could see Mayor Lewis and Willy fussing at each other while they huddled over the candle boat. 

A familiar nervousness settled in Rainier’s stomach when she looked around. Everyone had their own little clusters of friends and families, and Rainier had no idea where to go. Her mind immediately went to Harvey, who didn’t seem to be here yet. Looking to her left, she remembered the smaller cove of the beach where she often found corals. No one was over there, and Rainier felt herself feeling a bit relieved as she sneakily crossed the bridge and walked to the shore line. It was darker over here, the lights of the dock didn’t quite reach, and only a few candles were peppered around the sand. 

Rainier looked out at the water and she could still dully hear the voices of the rest of town over the sound of the waves crashing onto the shore. The water looked so dark this time of day, the line between the night sky and the water a bit blurred. Pulling a blanket from her bag, Rainier tried to lay it out using one arm, and quickly realized that wasn’t going to happen. 

“Want some help?” A voice asked behind her, making her jump. The same voice began to laugh, and Rainier knew it was Harvey before she turned to see him. 

“You startled me,” Rainier laughed, hand coming to rest over her heart. Harvey closed the gap between where they were both standing, taking the blanket dangling from her hand, “I’m sorry.” 

The smirk on his face didn’t say remorse, and Rainier was grateful for the darkness as it hid the blush that formed on her cheeks. She muttered a thank you as he laid the blanket down onto the sand. Quiet fell over them, both shifting where they stood in the sand. Harvey watched Rainier as her eyes turned to the water. The candles on the beach emitted a faint yellow glow, forming a shadow on the curve of her neck, defining the space between her head and shoulder. It was a gentle curve, Harvey noticed, his cheeks getting warmer the longer he looked. Her hair was bundled at the top of her head in a haphazard bun, leaving a few of the shorter strands of hair loose. The strap of her sling was twisted on one side, and he had to fight the urge to reach out and adjust it, letting his fingers trace along the bit of skin that was exposed there. 

“I’ve never seen the moonlight jellies before.” Rainier broke the silence, making Harvey snap out of it, his hands sliding into his pockets, “I hadn’t either until I moved here.” 

Rainier could faintly hear the sound of the other town folks, barely making out that it sounded like things were about to start. Carefully, Rainier navigated herself to sit bottom first on the blanket, shaking each foot off over the sand before tucking it beneath herself to sit with her legs crossed. Harvey saw the other half of the blanket and knew it had been purposefully left open, but felt too shy to invite himself to sit. 

Once Rainier settled, she looked back to Harvey, giving him a curious look, and patting the space next to her with her hand. Harvey mimicked her movements, carefully sitting onto the blanket, trying to be mindful about bringing too much sand with him. 

The lights on the dock flickered off, and it got even darker on the beach. Excited chatter filled the air as Mayor Lewis cut the candle boat free. It slowly drifted out into the water, eventually far enough from the docks that Rainier could see it from where she sat in the cove. Silence fell, as if everyone was collectively holding their breath. 

As the water lapped at the sand, the edge of the blanket they sat on started to get wet, but Rainier didn’t mind, or even notice, as she eagerly looked towards the water. Harvey watched as she moved from sitting on her bottom to kneeling. Having seen this a few times, Harvey knew that it would be a few moments before the jellies came in, but watching Rainier wait so excitedly made him not want to tell her. 

Quietly, Rainier looked back over her shoulder at Harvey, a smile of pure excitement on her face. His chest felt undeniably full as he witnessed her joy. The first gasp came from the far end of the other dock, but Rainier was so focused she didn’t hear it. A few more gasps followed, now grabbing her attention, and she came to her feet, not seeing anything herself. 

Rainier watched as one glowing spot in the water appeared a few feet out from the shore, and she bounced with excitement where she stood. Harvey was still sitting on the blanket, looking at Rainier, not the water. 

“Wow.” Rainier said in an exhale as the water blossomed with more light, a soft, almost green glow. Harvey moved to stand up, also amazed by the sight. The group of jellies gently floated closer and closer to the shore, now filling the water as far as they could both see. Things stayed like that for a moment, the jellies just bobbing where they had floated.

“It’s beautiful.” Rainier said aloud, this time directed to Harvey and not just the water. 

“It is.” Harvey agreed. 

“How weird is it,” Rainier continued, just thinking out loud now, “That we can’t see them any other time than this exact moment. So beautiful but…”

Harvey shifted his gaze from the jellies back to Rainier. Almost every part of his body burned with the urge to move closer, but he stayed put while responding, “Fleeting.”

Rainier reached up to wipe at her eyes, nodding, and looking at Harvey. “Yes, fleeting.”

Their gaze met, her gut told her to look away, but Rainier couldn’t. The light from the nearby candles reflected off his glasses, and while the fringe of his hair no longer threatened to hang over his lenses, Rainier still wanted to reach out and touch it. Harvey could hear his pulse in his ears, and suddenly felt very aware that feeling this way, looking this way, at his patient, could not happen. 

The sound of voices along the docks and beach got louder as everyone started to chat amongst themselves. Rainier opened her mouth to say something, but nothing seemed to come out. She watched as he shifted where he was standing, his throat bobbing as he swallowed. 

Harvey looked away first, and Rainier felt her stomach drop. 

“It’s late.” He said, and Rainier gave a light laugh, trying to break the tension that settled between them, “That’s kinda the nature of this festival, isn’t it?”

Harvey chuckled back, sliding his hands back into his pockets. “I think I’m going to head back.” Rainier nodded, swallowing thickly, feeling that something had shifted. As Harvey turned to walk away, she remembered, “I brought you pickles.” 

Harvey stopped, turning back to Rainier, “Really?” 

“Yes, uh, nothing special, just the usual ones.” Rainier hurriedly grabbed her bag, trying to pull it out with one hand, and struggling to situate it correctly. Her cheeks began to burn hot, feeling even more embarrassed now that this interaction was stretching out and Harvey was watching her as she fumbled. 

“Here,” she spoke, holding the jar out. Harvey took it, accidentally grabbing most of her hand during the hand off. They both flinched, nervously laughing as they both mumbled, “Sorry.”

“Have a good night.” Rainier said, watching as Harvey began to walk away. “You as well, Rainier. Thank you for the pickles.” 

Soon he disappeared into the part of the beach that was completely dark, and Rainier sat down onto her blanket, not sure what had just happened. For a brief moment, when they both looked at each other, she thought that the weird fluttering made sense. Harvey’s reaction reminded her that the feeling was not mutual. Whatever the feeling was.

The jellies were still floating in the water, but there were less of them now as they receded to the deeper waters. 

“Nice sling.” A less familiar voice spoke. Rainier didn’t jump this time, instead twisted to look behind her, where she was surprised to find Sebastian. Before Rainier could say hello, he asked, “Mind if I join you?”

Rainier nodded and Sebastian plopped down next to her, hands stuffed into the pockets of his hoodie. 

“Is this your first time seeing the jellies?” Sebastian asked, eyes on the water as he spoke. “Yes.” Rainier answered, swallowing before continuing, “It’s amazing.”

Sebastian nodded this time, “Yeah. Things can get pretty old around here, but this is always cool.”

“Why are you over here by yourself?” he asked, now looking at Rainier, who shrugged, “Just didn’t want to intrude.” 

Sebastian gave her a funny look, “Intrude on what? Could always come stand with my mom. She’s your biggest fan.”

A soft chuckle escaped her lips, “Yeah, I guess I could’ve.” Rainier tried to snap out of the fog of Harvey leaving so abruptly, asking, “How are you?”

Sebastian shrugged as he replied, “I’m alright.”

Rainier nodded, understanding. Sebastian reached up to scratch the back of his neck, looking a bit sheepish as he suggested, “Uh, you should come hang out sometime. If you want.”

Now Rainier was surprised, eyebrows raising at the suggestion, “Yeah?”

“Yeah, I mean, you seem cool. My mom would probably freak out too. Like in a good way. Or I could come to your farm. Whatever works.”

This made Rainier smile, because she knew Robin would indeed freak out. “I’d like that.”

Sebastian knew he was rambling now, so decided to just stop talking, and let out a slightly louder exhale, one that Rainier thought maybe she wasn’t supposed to hear. When he glanced at Rainier out of the corner of his eye though, he saw that she was smiling at him. “Thank you for asking me.” 

Flustered, Sebastian rolled his eyes, “You’re always so polite.” 

This made Rainier laugh, “You say that like it’s a bad thing.” 

—

“I can just pick it up?” Sebastian asked, visibly nervous. Rainier stood to the side, nodding, “Yup, just scoop ‘em.” 

Sebastian looked at the chicken standing in front of him, who was almost looking up at him expectedly, and over to Rainier, who was beaming. “I don’t think I can.”

This made Rainier laugh, and she walked closer, bending at the waist and wrapping her arms around Mumford, her oldest chicken. “See?”

Sebastian was amazed, mouth agape. “I didn’t know chickens liked that.”

Rainier hugged the chicken close to her chest, and Sebastian swore the little thing cuddled into her. “Neither did I. When I first started all this, I was terrified of them.” 

Sebastian watched as she squatted down, the hem of her shirt rising up a bit, exposing the skin on the small of her back. The chicken hopped from her arms once she was low enough and waddled away. “Once I got to know them though, I realized they’re sweethearts.” 

Rainier stayed close to the ground, and to Sebastian’s amazement, another chicken hurried over to stand between her open legs, delighting in the scritches she gave it. “You sure you’re not, like, a wizard or something?”

Standing, Rainier shook her head, thinking of the magic of the forest the actual wizard in town bestowed upon her, “Nope, just super sweet chickens.” 

The two walked from the coop back toward the house, watching as the leaves that had begun to change with the season fell from their trees and floated through the air with the wind. 

As they sat down on the edge of the porch, Rainier turned herself so she was facing Sebastian, crossing her legs. “So, what do you do for work?”

Sebastian didn’t look at her as he sheepishly replied, “Uh,” his hands came out from his pockets to rest on his thighs, “I do freelance coding.”

Rainier’s eyebrows raised, interested, and Sebastian continued, “I didn’t go to school for it, or anything like that, I just taught myself online.”

“That’s amazing.” Rainier smiled. Sebastian almost hated that he could tell she meant it. Almost.

“Not really,” Sebastian looked over to her, still not quite making eye contact, “Anyone could do it. There’s a ton of free classes and shit on the internet now.” 

Rainier didn’t want him to dismiss himself, admitting, “I couldn’t.”

Sebastian swallowed, continuing, “I know I could make more money if I did go to school. This works for now though, I’m just saving up so I can leave this town and move to the city.” 

Rainier nodded, “Have you always wanted to move to Zuzu?”

“Yeah,” Sebastian shook his head, “I’ve never felt like I fit in here. Guess I’m not fit for small town life.”

“Mm.” Rainier acknowledged, shifting so she wasn’t facing Sebastian anymore, and letting her legs dangle off the porch. Sebastian watched out of the corner of his eyes as she adjusted, wondering what she was thinking. “Why’d you move here?”

Rainier used the tips of her toes to trace in the dirt on the ground, she felt shy talking about it, worried that he would think she was silly, so she just shrugged. “I lived in the city my whole life, eventually it just stopped working for me. I needed an out, guess I got lucky.”

Sebastian was interested in her perspective, asking, “What do you mean it stopped working?”

Lifting her gaze, she looked to Sebastian who was finally looking at her when he spoke, “I was sick of running towards something I didn’t want. I didn’t even know what I was running toward. I went to work, to pay rent for a place I only slept at, because I was always working. I didn’t like my job, hell most of my friends didn’t like their jobs. It was just something you did, and for what?” 

“It has to be better than here though, there’s nothing to do. It’s just the same people every day.” Sebastian countered, not quite understanding.

Rainier didn’t know what else to say, she knew they both had very different perspectives on this. The silence hung for a second, and she sighed, saying, “Just depends on what you want, I guess. You can be in the city, with hundreds of thousands of people, and still be completely alone. Might still only see the same people every week, sure, you pass others on the street, but you don’t know them. You don’t have anything in common with them other than being in the same place.”

Both of them looked to their feet now, Rainier still tracing little circles into the soft dirt. 

Usually when Sebastian’s mother would play devil’s advocate with him, trying to tell him that all of the fantasies he had for the city might not be the reality, he got frustrated, annoyed. He was intrigued as Rainier told him about it though. The way she was in complete opposition of his view made him want to know more. He had no intention of changing his mind, but her disagreement was magnetic. 

“Do you want to come to the saloon with me tonight?” he asked, breaking the silence. Rainier looked up, letting out a surprised chuckle, “You want to keep hanging out?”

Sebastian nodded. 

“I’ll have to change.” She said, not intending for it to sound like an excuse as it came out. Sebastian looked at the sky, seeing the sun hadn’t completely set yet. “We don’t have to leave yet, I can wait.”

Rainier nodded, moving to stand up, “I’ll be quick.”

—

“Should I let Sam win?” Sebastian asked out loud, mischief in his voice. Abigail laughed from where she sat next to Rainier, and Sam shouted, “Hey!”

“Sam has literally never won a game of pool. Even against me, which says a lot, because I’m pretty sure Vincent could beat me.” Abigail explained, her face a little bit flushed from the beer. Rainier laughed, and Sam dramatically pointed his pool stick at the two of them saying, “Rainier, don’t laugh! You wouldn’t be able to beat him either, it’s not that I’m bad!”

This made Rainier laugh more, her stomach tender as if she had done a workout. Abigail countered back, “I bet she could, even with her sling on.”

Rainier stopped laughing, shaking her head, as she caught her breath, “No, no,”

Sam was already on board though, walking her direction to hand off his pool stick, and declaring, “Yes! You play him, then I don’t have to get beat again.”

Sebastian was standing with a smug smile on his face, taking another sip of his beer while he watched this play out. Once the pool stick was in Rainier’s hand she knew there was no point fighting it, and she stood up, approaching the pool table. 

“You ready to get your butt whooped?” Rainier asked, feigning confidence. Sebastian raised his eyebrows, setting his drink down, “Oh yeah?”

Rainier finished the last of her wine, handing her glass off to Abigail, who was enthralled. “You shoot first.”

This made Sebastian chuckle, “Alright, if you say so.”

Sebastian hit the cue ball, dispersing the triangle throughout the table, none landing in any pockets. Rainier stepped up, purposefully moving to stand where Sebastian was, still playing up the competitive façade, “Excuse me.”

Sam was quietly cackling from the couch, giddy as Rainier moved in front of Sebastian. Eyeing the table, Rainier lined herself up adjusting to accommodate her sling. Pulling her good arm back, she shot, sending a solid ball right into the pocket. 

Abigail squealed, and Rainier looked up to Sebastian, giving him a smug look. Sebastian rolled his eyes, “First ball is always the easiest.”

Walking around the table, she hit the ball again, this time sending two balls into two different pockets, making Sebastian’s eyes widen, “Wait—”

Sam was already on his feet, hands above his head, hollering. Rainier felt her cheeks getting warm as she laughed, struggling to keep up with her pretend confidence. Moving again, Rainier ended up back where Sebastian was standing. Sebastian watched as she leant over the table, her spine in a straight line, but her back slightly arched. 

“Don’t choke.” He mumbled, enjoying the game they had going. Rainier looked back over her shoulder, almost taking the breath out of his chest, as she smiled, “I won’t.”

Abigail pretended to fan at herself from the couch, pulling at Sam with her other hand. Another ball landed in the pocket, and Sebastian realized he was done for. Rainier stood up straight, humming while she pondered her next move, twirling the pool stick in her hand, “Should I let Sebastian win?” she asked, mimicking what he had said earlier. Sam was back on the couch, dramatically laying across Abigail shouting, “Avenge me, my queen!”

Sebastian couldn’t help but laugh now as he tried to take another sip of his drink. Lining herself up again, she pulled back, this time only barely touching the ball, sending it forward less than an inch. 

“Oops,” she said, standing back up. Both Abigail and Sam said something about not pitying him, but Rainier was focused on Sebastian now, giving him a wry smile, “Your turn.” 

Three shots later, Sebastian was trying to decide his next move, not wanting to lose his streak. Rainier was back to strategizing, watching carefully as Sebastian eyed the table. In the thick of it, Sebastian had pushed the hair back from his face completely, revealing parts of him that Rainier hadn’t noticed yet. 

On the next shot nothing went in, and Rainier stepped up, putting her competitive smile back on. “What a shame.”

Sebastian sighed, knowing what this meant, “You win.”

Rainier shook her head, “Oh, not yet. I want you to watch.”

Abigail let out an actual scream, bouncing in her seat. “Make him watch, Rainier. Make it hurt!”

Sebastian huffed and leant himself against the back wall, watching as Rainier almost effortlessly hit the remaining balls, leaving just the 8 ball. Wanting to get one last laugh in, Rainier looked to Sebastian and said, “Call the pocket.”

“Hm?” he asked, not understanding, “You’re supposed to call the pocket.”

Rainier let out a low chuckle, “I know, I want you to though.”

Understanding, Sebastian raised his eyebrows as he pushed himself off the wall, making a point to walk all the way around the table as he thought. Abigail and Sam were quite literally on the edge of their seats as they waited, not knowing what would happen. After a few moments of deliberation, Sebastian stood next to Rainier, who glanced up at him. Placing his arm around her shoulder, Rainier felt her heart rate pick up, surprised by the physical gesture. She almost immediately melted into his side, once again aware of the burning that had now spread over her entire body.

Sebastian looked down to meet her gaze, and said, “Top left.”

Glancing at the table, grateful to break his eye contact, she hissed out a pretend wince. Sam let out a loud,  _ “Oof,” _ from the peanut gallery, but Abigail was too busy watching them touch each other to care about the outcome of the game at this point. 

Sebastian had put the arm around Rainier as a part of the act the two of them were putting on, but found himself yearning as Rainier moved out from beneath him to make her shot. The way she had softened into his side made him think that maybe that wasn’t a joke for her, but she soon turned to him and continued the running joke, “Top left? You make it too easy.” 

With a move that shouldn’t have looked so effortless, Rainier managed to get the ball into the pocket, standing up straight with a smirk as Abigail and Sam cheered. 

“Why didn’t you tell anyone you were so good at pool?” Abigail asked as she walked over with a full glass for Rainier. 

“I like to keep some mystery.” Rainier joked, taking a sip of the wine Abigail offered her. Sam was pretending to punch Sebastian in the shoulder, “You are not undefeatable!”

As the group settled down Rainier realized she couldn’t remember the last time she had this much fun. Sebastian sat on the couch and Rainier took the seat next to him, landing with a sigh. Sebastian looked at her, watching as she tipped her head back to take a sip of her drink. Despite working with her hands every day, they looked so delicate wrapped around the glass. 

Rainier caught his gaze and smiled, “That was fun.”

Sebastian nodded, to his surprise, with a smile still on his face.

“You look younger with your hair pushed back.” Rainier admitted, a blush immediately rising on her cheeks once she said it, “Yoba, that was weird, I’m sorry.”

“No, you’re fine.” Sebastian laughed, hand automatically going up to fuss with his hair, bringing the length back over his forehead and shaking his head a bit to get it to lay flat. 

Digging the hole a little deeper for herself, Rainier continued, “It’s good that way too.”

“Thank you.” He replied, trying not to smirk at the shade of red her face and neck had turned. 

Sam had wandered back to the bar, chatting with some other folks. Rainier hadn’t noticed until she heard his booming voice from the other room, “Dr. Harvey, my man!” 

This caught her attention, her eyes immediately looking that way, watching as Sam clapped his hand around Harvey’s shoulder, and Harvey sheepishly laughed, “Hello, Sam.”

“You missed a show,” Sam continued, practically hanging on Harvey’s shoulders from behind, “Rainier whooped Sebastian’s butt at pool. It was a massacre.”

Harvey turned his head as much as he could in Sam’s hold, “Yeah?”

Sam hummed a yes, releasing Harvey so he could sit up straight. “She was avenging my honor.”

“Well I’m glad.” Harvey laughed. Rainier hated how fond she felt watching him humor Sam. 

As Sam was grabbing his drink and preparing to walk away, Harvey turned to the room where Rainier sat, and smiled in her direction. Rainier gave a reluctant smile back, immediately looking away and back to her drink. Sebastian watched the exchange, noticing the tension in it. Feeling it was better not to ask, he turned back to Rainier, “How did you get so good at pool anyway?”

Rainier welcomed the interruption, clearing her throat before explaining, “When I was in college our dorm had a pool table in the common area, my friends and I liked to play when we didn’t want to study, so lots of practice.”

Sebastian nodded, “What did you go to school for?”

“Biochemistry.” Rainier thought back to her time in school, releasing something between a scoff and a laugh. It seemed like the most logical decision when Rainier was leaving high school. Science was interesting and it came to her naturally. Both of her parents worked in high stress fields, her father a doctor and mother a lawyer. There was a push towards something in that neck of the woods from the beginning. One time in elementary school everyone wrote down what they wanted to be when they grew up on a piece of paper, and Rainier wrote:  _ artist _ . She didn’t mean anything by it, she could barely color a coloring book, that was just what sounded cool that day. Her mother quickly corrected her when she brought it home that afternoon, saying,  _ “How about a lawyer, or a scientist?” _ and her father chimed in with a,  _ “That isn’t a career, honey. Making art is a hobby.” _

And so the story went for the rest of grade school, and in her last years of high school, when the guidance counselor asked what she wanted to major in, she could hear her father in her head, and without thinking, answered, “Biochemistry.” To be fair to her parents, she didn’t hate it. Actually, at first, she loved it. It was interesting and it kept her busy. It wasn’t until she started working that it stopped being something that made sense.

“Biochemistry?” Sebastian asked, interested. Rainier nodded, finishing the last of her drink and setting it down. “Mhm.”

“Is that what you did before you moved here?” Sebastian prodded, needing more information. Giving another nod, Rainier swallowed, “Yes, I worked in a lab.”

Sebastian wanted to know more but felt awkward asking more questions so he took another sip of his drink and waited. Rainier didn’t say anything for a while, just listened to the sounds of the bar, but found it increasingly difficult to ignore Sebastian’s waiting stare. 

“I assume there are some blanks you want filled in?” she laughed. “Yes.” Sebastian chuckled, adding sarcastically, “Just the small one, of course, the whole being a biochemist and now being a farmer.”

Rainier returned the tone, “Ah, yes. That one.”

“I really enjoyed it when I was in school. There were only a few routes that made sense once I graduated: work in a lab, become a teacher, or continue towards my PhD with hope of becoming a professor or something.” Rainier explained, bringing her feet up onto the couch so she could sit with her legs crossed, “I am not cut out to teach, and did not want to do research as a professor necessarily. I wasn’t motivated enough to follow that track, I didn’t have a specific passion to pursue.”

Rainier took a deep breath, continuing, “The lab job was fine, really. It just got monotonous. I knew that there was value in the work but it was hard to see. I didn’t get any joy from it. I realized I didn’t want to dread going to work every day. So when I found out my grandfather had left his farm to me, that was it.” 

Blowing air from her mouth, Rainier had to consciously untense her body, relaxing into the cushions of the couch. “I’m sorry, I’m sure that was a bit more than you were looking to get.” 

Sebastian shook his head, “No, it wasn’t.”

They shared a knowing look and Rainier sighed, “I feel like we only ever talk about me.” 

Sebastian shrugged, “You’re more interesting.” 

“False.” Rainier countered, unraveling her legs and moving to stand up, “I’m going to get another drink.”

Sebastian acknowledged with a hum, making a point to not watch as she stood up and walked away. As soon as she was out of the room, Abigail came flying onto the couch, Sam following, throwing himself over both of them.

“Guys,” Sebastian groaned, squirming under Sam’s weight, “What are you doing?” 

“What are  _ we  _ doing?” Abigail asked, eyes wide, “What are  _ you  _ doing?”

“In particular,” Sam added, propping himself up a bit, ignoring the grunts from beneath him, “With Rainier.” 

Sebastian rolled his eyes, glancing around to make sure Rainier wasn’t close enough to hear, or see, this interaction. “I am not doing anything.”

Sam dug his elbow into Sebastian’s side, “Yeah, try to be a bit more convincing next time.” 

Abigail continued, pointing a finger at him, “She is cool and you are totally into her.”

Now Sebastian was turning red, and he tried to push Sam off of him but having no success. Sam cackled as Sebastian shook his body, “You’re into her, say it!” 

“Have you made a move yet?” Abigail asked, no longer pointing. Sebastian continued to push at Sam, shaking his head, and sneering, “No, we just started hanging out today.”

Sam conceded, rolling off of Sebastian and onto the floor. As he moved to stand up, he continued to pester, “So?”

“Yeah, yeah.” Sebastian rolled his eyes, voice laced with sarcasm. 

Rainier waited at the bar and found herself looking at Harvey from across the counter. He had a book again, and she wished that he would lift it up just a bit more so she could read the spine and find out what the title was. Gus returned with her drink, and Rainier thanked him before heading back to the other room. Harvey looked up from his book as Rainier walked away, releasing a puff of air from his cheeks. He could feel her looking at him as she waited for her drink and wanted so badly to start a conversation. Instead, he stared at the same paragraph on proteolytic enzymes until he knew she was gone. It felt ridiculous to avoid her, after all, just because he might be attracted to her didn’t mean that she was attracted to him. And if that was the case, which he was sure it was, there wasn’t anything wrong with being her friend. 

_ “Yoba, she is so young,”  _ Harvey thought to himself as he watched Rainier sit on the couch with Sebastian. She had been over there all night hanging out with the three of them. Harvey didn’t necessarily feel jealous, the feeling was odd. Maybe it just made him feel creepy? She was so young and still had years of fun in front of her. Harvey, though, was sitting at the bar reading. The most fun he had on the weekend included completing a model airplane and going for a walk by the river. 

As Rainier laughed at something Sebastian said and put a hand on his knee for a moment, Harvey wondered if she liked him. _ “Not that it is any of your business,” _ Harvey reminded himself, trying to bring his attention back to his book. 

“What’s on your mind, doc?” Gus asked, interrupting his train of thought. Harvey cleared his throat, “Hm?”

Gus leaned against the bar with his hip, drying a glass with his rag. “You’ve been staring off into space a lot tonight, something must be on your mind.” 

Harvey closed his book. “I’m just tired, flu season is approaching.”

Gus gave him a knowing look, putting the glass on the shelf and throwing his towel over his shoulder. “She was staring at you too.” 

Harvey stammered for something to say, his face burning. “I— no, I wasn’t staring—” 

Before he could defend himself Gus had walked away, a smirk on his face. Rainier watched as Sebastian moved to stand up, taking her glass from her hand as she did. “I’ll get us another.”

Surprised that she had already finished her glass, she shook her head, “Oh no, I’m good. In fact, it’s getting late.”

Sebastian nodded, trying to hide the disappointment he felt. “Yeah?”

Rainier stood up as well, patting her pocket to make sure she had her phone and wallet. “Yes, I wake up at a ridiculous hour.” 

“Ah,” Sebastian acknowledged, trying to ignore Sam and Abigail from the corner of his eye, who were making kissy faces. 

“You want to walk together?” Rainier asked, casual as ever, even though Sebastian felt his stomach flip at the offer. “I know we live on opposite sides of the mountain, but the foraging up there is pretty good.” 

“You’re such a freak,” Sebastian teased, laughing as they headed for the door. 

“Free fruit is free fruit.” Rainier countered back, turning to Sam and Abigail, who quickly made straight faces. Stretching out one arm, she walked to Abigail and gave her a hug. Sam tried to wrap his arms around the two of them, making everyone giggle. “Aw, Rainier gets to stay in the gang, she gives hugs. Sebastian, you’re out.”

“Goodnight, guys.” Sebastian rolled his eyes before heading to the bar to drop the empty glasses off. Rainier finished her goodbyes, thanking them for a good time before following after Sebastian, shouting a goodbye at Gus on her way to the door. She noticed that Harvey was still deep in his book, and thought about saying goodbye, but decided against it. Sebastian held the door open as she walked out, the cooler fall air giving her a shiver. 

Sebastian tucked his hands into the pockets of his jeans as they began walking. Neither of them spoke, only the sound of their shoes on the cobblestones filling the silence. 

“Thank you for inviting me tonight, I had fun.” Rainier said as they walked towards the community center, everything getting darker now that they were away from the light of all the street lamps. 

Sebastian smiled even though Rainier couldn’t see it, “Thanks for coming.”

The pleasantries felt odd and both of them knew it. As they got closer to his house Sebastian realized they would be going separate ways and felt himself panicking. Stopping, he opened his mouth to say something, but couldn’t find the right way to say,  _ “Hey, know we just started hanging out, but I really, really want to kiss you.”  _

Rainier noticed that he wasn’t keeping pace with her anymore and stopped, looking behind at the general shape of Sebastian she could make out. The one light by the community center shined just enough to let her see some of the details of his face. 

“You okay?” She asked, taking a few steps back to where he was standing.

“Yeah—” he said, his voice cracking a bit. Swallowing, he continued, “Yeah, I’m good. I just, uh, I just don’t want to go home yet.”

Rainier nodded, feeling her stomach start to buzz, not quite a flutter, but a curious kind of nervous. “You want to see something?” 

Sebastian didn’t say yes before Rainier started walking back to the entrance of the community center. Once he caught up with her at the door she stopped to look at his face. Standing beneath the light she could see him fully again, and smiled. 

“The old community center?” He asked, wanting to know where this was going. 

“Yes.” Rainier answered, twisting the door handle and pushing hard. The old wood and hinges creaked as it opened and Sebastian peered inside, not remembering the last time he had seen the inside of this place. 

“C’mon.” Rainier encouraged, passing through the threshold and waiting for Sebastian to follow and close the door behind them. 

Sebastian looked around at the space, noticing a small hut in the middle. “This way,” Rainier walked across the creaking floorboards to the right. The room they came into looked like a stark difference compared to the rest of the ruins. The floor was finished and the walls weren’t falling apart. There was what looked like a brand new furnace on the wall and everything. 

“When did this— who did this?” Sebastian looked around, amazed. Rainier shuffled where she stood, “Well, I guess I kind of did? I had a lot of help. It’s a bit of a project, and it’s obviously nowhere near done yet—”

“Wait, you did this?” Sebastian interrupted. Rainier nodded, biting her bottom lip nervously, “Yes. There is a lot left to do, but this is a start.” 

“Wow.” he deadpanned, running his fingers over the smooth black metal of the furnace. Rainier started to walk out of the new boiler room and back towards the main room, feeling a bit silly for showing him this. 

“Do me a favor?” She asked, using her foot to kick at some of the debris on the floor, “Don’t tell anyone about this, I don’t want it to be, like, a thing.”

Sebastian nodded, “Yeah, no, of course.” 

The two took a deep breath at the same time, and Sebastian continued, “But, this is amazing. I mean, why are you doing all of this?” 

Rainier looked up, shrugging her shoulders. “It just seemed like such a waste. This whole space was important to so many people and it was just rotting away.” 

Sebastian felt a new feeling in his chest, one he wasn’t quite sure what to do with. He was amazed by her. He knew it didn’t make sense, because he barely knew her, and she barely knew him, but standing here, in this dusty old building, he was truly and unreasonably amazed by her. 

“Rainier,” he breathed, taking a few steps closer to where she stood with her hands tangled together nervously. Rainier’s eyes widened, her good arm dropping to her side. Sebastian closed the distance between them, now standing mere inches from where she was. Rainier could feel his breath fanning across her face, and she felt her chest shaking with each of her own shallow breaths. 

“Sebastian,” she started, voice quiet now. Without even meaning to, it felt like they were both getting closer, like there was some kind of force that was pulling them ever so slowly together. Despite her tendency to overthink, Rainier felt her mind go blank, entirely focused on Sebastian and the way his chest felt pressed against hers. They hovered like that for a moment, their faces just far enough to still look into each other’s eyes. Soon even that space was gone, and Rainier felt her eyes flutter shut, her lips quivering at the sensation of being this close. 

Rainier brought her free arm up around the back of Sebastian’s neck, and he snaked his arms around her waist, pulling them flush together. Sebastian’s open palms slid around her waist, rubbing assuring patterns into the small of her back.

“Is this a good idea?” Rainier breathed, the movement of talking bringing her bottom lip to brush against his. If there was going to be an answer, it was too late now, because that bit of contact was enough to make both of them close the last bit of space, bringing them impossibly closer. Rainier arched herself into Sebastian, every part of her body buzzing with his touch. 

It was Rainier that opened her mouth first, welcoming Sebastian, both of them taking a breath before sliding their tongues together. A quiet but low sound left Sebastian’s chest as they deepened their kiss. He couldn’t help but squeeze Rainier’s waist between his hands, wanting, or maybe needing, to feel more of her. It wasn’t urgent but they didn’t move slowly, the kiss itself a little clumsy, their bodies navigating new and unfamiliar territory.

“Rainier,” he broke their kiss just enough to breathe, almost unable to stop himself enough to say more than one word at a time. 

Feeling her legs get a bit shaky, Rainier slowed down, pulling back just enough to separate. Sebastian mirrored her breathing, his eyes open and watching Rainier, her lips red and shining with saliva. Needing to say something, he asked, “Was that okay?”

“Yes,” she opened her eyes and pulled her arm back, “Definitely okay.” 

Sebastian chuckled, keeping his arms around her waist, not wanting to let go yet. 

Rainier looked at Sebastian, his hair a little messed up and his lips slightly more pink from the kissing. She wanted to stay like this just a bit longer, enjoying the way it felt to be held, but knew she shouldn’t. Out of the corner of her eye she saw one of the junimos timidly watching her with a human they did not know. 

“I should go.” She said, trying to fight a laugh as the junimo did a happy dance, leaning in to give him one quick kiss. With that she walked out of his grasp and towards the door. Sebastian watched in awe as she walked away so casually, as if they had not been so close just moments before. Realizing he did not want to be left alone in the big, abandoned building that he swore he heard footsteps in while they kissed, he hurried after her. 

“Wait, Rainier,” Sebastian called once they were outside, Rainier headed in the opposite direction they were going before. “Where are you going?”

Rainier stopped and turned to him, a smile still on her face, “Home,” she was already walking away, “Thank you for tonight, Sebastian.” 

Sebastian watched as she went, feeling even more enthralled with her as she disappeared out of his view. 

— 

While it felt like fall had just begun, the trees of Pelican Town had already turned beautiful shades of orange and red. Rainier was knee deep in cranberry and pumpkin plants despite only having one arm available to till her field at the start of the season. If the chickens would stop poking around the grape vines, she hoped she would have enough to take a shot at making her own wine. 

Rainier found her mind wandering as she worked through farm chores the past few days, she wasn’t sure how this was supposed to work, the whole Sebastian thing. There hadn’t been time to go into town but she wondered if maybe she should try and see him or maybe even just send a text. Oddly enough, though, she didn’t really want to. The memory itself felt good. Really good. If she went to see him it would be more than that moment, and if it were more than that moment, it could get complicated. They barely knew each other, and it would be silly to complicate it. At least that’s what she told her cows as she milked them today. 

After wrapping up with the chickens, Rainier looked at the time. Seeing it was already 3:10 PM, she cursed, realizing that time had gotten away from her. Today she had her last appointment at the clinic before she got her sling off, and it was in 20 minutes. Running towards the house, she grabbed her bag, wincing as she looked in the mirror and saw her dirt stained clothes and messy hair. There was no time to shower as she planned, she was not the type to be late. Taking off down the road, she half fast walked, half jogged towards town. 

“ _ Yoba _ , you have to do more cardio.” She puffed to herself, cursing again as she tripped over a small rock. Barely catching her footing, she continued towards the clinic, hoping no one would see her sad attempt at running. Getting to the door, she grabbed the handle and flung it open, stumbling inside to see a very surprised Harvey sitting at the desk, a newspaper in hand. 

“I’m so sorry!” Rainier practically yelled, bending over and putting her hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath. 

“Rainier, are you okay?” Harvey asked, putting his paper down and standing up. Rainier nodded, a small wheeze coming out, “Yes, yes! I’m so sorry I’m late.”

Harvey looked at his watch, giving her a perplexed face, “You’re not late, it’s only 3:28.” 

Standing up straight, Rainier wiped her forehead with the back of her hand, leaving a faint smear of dirt, “Wait, really?”

Harvey nodded, laughing a bit, “Yes, really. Punctual as ever.” 

“Oh thank Yoba,” she breathed, “That’s my best time yet.” 

Harvey chuckled and started to head to the exam room, motioning with his hand for her to follow. Rainier walked through the hall, feeling aware of her dirty shoes on the stark white floor. Coming into the room, she took a seat on the table. Harvey set her chart onto the counter before turning to her, “So, how are you today, Rainier?” 

Rainier had caught her breath, “I’m good, yeah, I’m good.” She replied, lifting the arm with the sling in it up a bit, “Going to be even better in a minute.” 

Harvey smiled, “I’m glad. I just want to check your range of motion and then you’ll be free.”

Rainier beamed back as Harvey came closer, bringing his hands up to remove the sling, careful as ever as he pulled. 

“How are you?” Rainier asked as she ducked so Harvey could lift the sling over her head. Harvey gave a hum, turning to toss the sling on the counter near her chart, trying not to laugh as dirt fell from the fabric, dusting the floor. “I’m doing well, I like the fall weather.” 

Things were quiet for a moment as Rainier let herself be lifted and adjusted, too worried that Harvey’s hands were getting dirty from the layer of soil on her skin to get flustered like she usually did. 

“Alright, stand up for me?” Harvey asked, taking a step back as Rainier hopped down from the table. Giving herself a little shake, Rainier relished in the feeling of both of her arms being down at her sides for the first time in weeks. Harvey guided her through a few movements, asking her to lift her arm above her head on her own. Once he was satisfied, he scribbled a few things on her chart, “Alright, Rainier, you shouldn’t start picking up any heavy weights or anything,”

Rainier didn’t let him finish, she happily wrapped her arms around him, giving a tight squeeze. Harvey froze in her embrace, eyes going wide. 

“Ahh,” She shook Harvey a little bit before releasing and taking a few steps back, “Thank you!” 

“But please be careful, especially in the mines.” Harvey continued, “You really shouldn’t even go into the mines.”

Rainier nodded, “Yes, yes, understood.” 

After finishing up the normal goodbyes Rainier turned before opening the door, “You know, you should be honored, that’s the first real hug I’ve given in weeks.”

Harvey begged his body not to react, just smiling as she opened the door, “Oh, I am.” 

Rainier laughed as she walked outside, happily throwing both of her free arms above her head. “See you around, thank you!”

Harvey sighed as the door slammed shut, falling back into his seat behind the desk. Rainier seemed good, completely neutral about their time at the festival. That night he swore she might have looked disappointed when he left, but that was just wishful thinking.  _ “She is much younger than you,” _ Harvey reminded himself,  _ “She’s only 24.” _

After leaving the beach that night Harvey knew he had come off as cold. It was inappropriate to be attracted to Rainier, she was one of his patients. Not to mention it would be humiliating to realize she wasn’t attracted to him, which he’s sure she wasn’t, especially after watching her in the bar with the folks her age. By folks he really meant Sebastian. He had tried to ignore that Rainier left with him, but he wondered if they had done more than walked together.

“Not your business.” Harvey sighed aloud, rubbing his palms against his pants before standing up. Through the window he could see Rainier still in the square, seemingly talking to someone. Peering around, he noticed someone in all black. Sebastian. He quickly looked away, it felt intrusive to watch. That didn’t last long though, because he looked again, seeing Rainier rock back and forth on her feet, a tick that he had become familiar with. He wondered if Sebastian even noticed that, probably not. 

“Stop,” Harvey shook his head, looking at the papers spread out on his desk, shuffling them in an attempt to stop harboring a grudge against someone who he really didn’t need to. He barely knew Sebastian, and he definitely didn’t want to pretend he had something against him just for talking to Rainier. 

Rainier jumped when she heard Sebastian’s voice call her name, his hands in his pockets as usual as he smoothly strolled over to her.

“Sebastian! It’s, uh, good to see you.” She panicked, even more aware of the state of her dirty farm clothes. 

“I was wondering when I’d run into you.” He smiled, stopping in front of her, a little closer than usual. Rainier fought the urge to take a step back, worried she might smell like dirt and sweat. 

“Yeah, things have been busy.” She explained, feeling a little embarrassed. Sebastian nodded, and before he could speak Rainer exclaimed, “Oh!” 

Raising her arms above her head, she proudly said, “Check out the sweet digs.”

Sebastian laughed, taking his hands from his pocket and grabbing her arm. Rainier let herself be pulled closer, eyes wide as he inspected her arm in his hands. “Hm,” he teased, “Seems functional.” 

Rainier started to gently rock back and forth on her feet, unsure what to do next, “So about—” they both started, followed by, “No, no, you go ahead—”

An awkward laugh was shared between them, Sebastian rubbing the back of his neck and looking at his feet. “Listen,” he started, “It, uh, doesn’t have to be a thing. You know, we can just,”

Rainier nodded, unsure what he was quite getting to, but felt relieved about it, “Oh, yeah, of course. Totally not a thing.” 

“Totally not a thing.” Sebastian echoed. Remembering their moment in the community center even more clearly now, Rainier wished she didn’t have such a reactive face as a blush started to warm it’s way up her neck. 

“But if you still wanted to hang out, that’s also cool.” Sebastian added, a sheepish smile on his face. 

“Right now?” Rainier asked, immediately regretting it once she said it. Sebastian laughed before she could correct herself, “I mean, sure, but I meant like, in the future.” 

Rainier was full blown red now, her hands sliding into the pockets of her overalls. “Your place?” Sebastian asked, taking a few steps in the direction of the path to the farm. Surprised, Rainier started to follow, “Uh, yes, but I didn’t mean right now right now. I meant like—”

“I’m not busy, are you?” Sebastian asked, full blown walking now. 

Rainier caught up with him, walking side by side, “Well no, but I am disgusting if you haven’t noticed.” 

Sebastian stopped walking, doing a once over of her body, making Rainier cross her arms, wanting to hide herself. “Nah, I don’t see it.”

They continued walking, passing the old bus stop. Crossing the gate into the farm, Sebastian started to slow down, looking around cautiously. Rainier looked at him curiously, releasing a loud laugh when she realized what was happening, “Are you looking for the chickens?”

Sebastian looked at her, then quickly back at the land, shaking his head, “No.” 

Rainier gave a suspicious hum, “Mhm, don’t worry. They are very timely creatures, always go to bed at 5:00.” Sebastian pulled his phone from his pocket, trying not to give a relieved sigh when he saw the time read 5:02 PM. 

“You want to come inside?” Rainier started walking up the steps to the house, “I have some beer in the fridge.”

Sebastian followed, shutting the door behind himself. The house was a modest size but it was simple and cozy. He leaned against the counter as Rainier opened the fridge, pulling a beer out as promised. Handing it to him, Rainier opened a drawer and pulled out a bottle opener, also passing it his way. The beer sizzled as the pressure released, bubbles cresting in the neck of the bottle, making Sebastian put his lips around the top, gently sucking to stop it from overflowing. 

“I’m going to grab a quick shower if that’s alright.” Rainier said as she walked toward what Sebastian assumed was the bedroom. Sebastian nodded, meandering over to the couch, “Good, you were starting to stink.”

“Hey!” Rainier laughed, throwing a stern look, “If I’m so stinky, why’d you follow me home?”

Sebastian rolled his eyes, holding his beer up, “Free beer.”

Another scoff was thrown his way as Rainier disappeared behind the door, the sound of the shower following after. Looking around, Sebastian took in the space, noticing how neat it all was. Her couch pillows were all fluffed, and there was a very neatly folded blanket gently but purposefully draped over the arm of the matching chair. Her rug was so clean that Sebastian realized he should probably take his shoes off. 

Carefully tip-toeing back to the wood floor, he slid his shoes off by the door where a few of Rainier’s shoes were lined up. While he was up he looked at the shelves on the wall, noticing that there were some books organized by color. There wasn’t a lot of clutter, but there were a few trinkets around, he could only assume they all had some kind of significance. A photo of two older people was framed by the door, and Sebastian figured it must be her parents. The man in the picture had similar features to hers, big, almond shaped eyes and dark hair. 

Her kitchen was small, but the whole house was really. It was only two rooms which made sense considering there was only one of her. Going back to the couch, he set his beer down on the end table. There was some simple art on the wall, just line drawings and color blocked shapes. Sebastian realized it all explained a bit more about Rainier, who he still didn’t know much about. 

The water in the other room stopped and Sebastian was surprised by how quick that was. Rainier fluffed a towel through her hair, trying to be fast. Opening her dresser she pulled a crew neck out and pulled it over her head, delighting in the soft fabric against her clean skin. 

After shimmying a pair of underwear and leggings on, she went back to the bathroom to hang up her towel and glance in the mirror. She hated how her hair looked when it was wet, but it felt silly to pull out the blow dryer while Sebastian was waiting on her couch. After some thought, she brushed her hair and pulled it up into a bun, spending more time than she’d care to on adjusting her baby hairs before snapping out of it. 

As she walked back into the living room she felt a familiar nervousness when she saw Sebastian sitting on her couch. He looked up from his phone when she came in, putting it down and picking up his beer. 

“Hey.” He smiled, giving her a quick once over. Rainier gave him the middle finger, going to the fridge to grab a bottle of wine.

“Are you hungry?” She asked, uncorking the wine and pouring herself a glass. Sebastian gave a noncommittal hum, asking, “Are you?” 

Rainier gave the same sound in response, opening her cupboard and pulling a bag of chips out. Coming back to the couch she took a seat, bringing her legs up, tucking them beneath herself, and tossing the bag of chips at Sebastian. He immediately opened it, popping a few in his mouth before setting the bag between them. 

They both focused on their drinks for a moment, and Rainier turned herself so her back was resting against the arm of the sofa and she was facing him. 

“How was your day?” She asked, extending one of her legs just enough to poke him in the thigh with her toe, he grabbed her foot, stilling her. Even though she was no longer trying to pester him he kept his hand there.

“Good,” Sebastian answered, “Finished up a project for a client today.”

Rainier was happy to hear him talk about himself and tilted her head, encouraging him to keep going. “It kept me busy for a few weeks, kinda bummed that it’s over really.”

“Yeah?” Rainier asked, and Sebastian continued, “Yeah, usually get a lot of similar projects that require the same process. Was just nice to have a change of pace.” 

Sebastian took another drink before asking, “How was your day?”

“It was good, just usual farm stuff, then I went to the clinic to get my sling off.” She raised her newly freed arm up, and Sebastian nodded. Both of them racked their brains for what to ask next, not finding anything. It felt a little soon to be out of things to talk about. All Rainier could think about was how they didn’t have to talk about anything when they were smashing their faces together. 

“This is weird, isn’t it?” She asked with a light laugh, immediately following the question with a drink. Sebastian also tilted his head back, finishing his beer and chuckling, “Yes.”

“What do you want to do?” Sebastian asked, getting up to grab another beer from the fridge. As he came back to the couch Rainier grabbed a few chips, mumbling an unhelpful, “Dunno.” through the crunching.

Rainier grabbed her phone off the coffee table and saw that as usual there were notifications. Sighing, she tossed it back on the table and threw her head back. Sebastian didn’t bother being discreet about looking at her. 

Looking at the ceiling, Rainier suggested, “Not to be cheesy, but want to play 20 questions?” 

Sebastian shook his head, laughing, “Actually, yeah.” 

After an hour or so of chatting back and forth, basic questions about childhood and favorite foods, Rainier had polished off her bottle of wine, and Sebastian had collected quite a few bottles of beer. No longer satisfied by the dinner of tortilla chips, Rainier was peering in her fridge, bent at the waist to look into the back. Sebastian was watching from the couch, paying special attention to the curve of her hips. 

“I do miss that about the city.” She admitted, shutting the fridge with defeat and flopping back down on the couch, this time next to Sebastian, forgoing the empty middle seat. 

“Miss what?” He asked, trying to ignore the fact that his arm that was stretched out along the back of the couch was now technically around her. 

Rainier reluctantly put another chip in her mouth before explaining, “The food. Can get pretty much anything, anytime. Don't get me wrong, I love growing my own food now. It’s just when I’m a bottle of wine deep I’m not really trying to eat an artichoke.”

This made him laugh, and he let his arm slide down off the cushions just enough to drape over her shoulders. 

“When you move to the city you have to try the dim sum restaurant on Dekalb Avenue.” Rainier practically moaned, letting her head fall back against his arm. 

Sebastian turned himself to face Rainier, the shifting of his arm beneath her head making her look over to his face. He looked surprised, and Rainier raised her head and eyebrows when she asked, “What? Do you not like dim sum?”

His eyes got a bit smaller when he chuckled, “No, I like dim sum.” 

Rainier shifted to match his position, even though it meant moving out from beneath his arm that she was quite comfortable under.

“No one has ever said it like that. When you move to the city.” Sebastian emphasized.

Rainier gave him a sad smile as she said, “Well, I believe you will if you want to.”

“Thank you.” Sebastian replied, unable to fight the urge to lean forward and give her a kiss. He pulled back slowly, taking a deep breath as he did. Sitting back completely they both looked at each other with glassy eyes, Rainier not even noticing that her cheeks had turned pink.

A now familiar feeling settled between them, and Rainier felt her heart rate picking up and breath getting more shallow as they held each other’s gaze. Not feeling close enough, Rainier pushed up onto her knees, surprising herself when she boldly planted one on either side of his thighs. Sebastian adjusted himself with her, shifting to sit flat so she could settle in his lap. He looked up at her, literally slack jawed, his hands naturally finding themselves on her hips. Rainier grabbed the strings of his hoodie, tangling them between her fingers as Sebastian stared at her. 

“What’re you doing?” He asked, unable to fight the smile that came with having her on top of him

Rainier was redder than ever, and she shrugged, dropping the strings. “Just sitting, you?”

They both laughed, and he pulled at the elastic band of her pants, letting it snap back against the small of her back, “Just sitting, huh.” 

“Mhm,” she hummed, their shared laughter making her less nervous. Placing her hands on his shoulders and pressing the pads of her fingers into the skin there, Rainier craned her neck to bring her lips to hover just above his. She stayed there for a moment, enjoying the anticipation of not quite touching. 

Sebastian on the other hand wasn’t so keen on waiting, and tilted his chin up so their mouths met. Her lips were just as soft as the other night, only this was better, because they managed to get even closer than before. It didn’t take long for their kiss to deepen and Rainier was torn between the running of her thoughts and the feral desire to feel Sebastian touch her everywhere. 

“We don’t have much in common,” she spoke into his mouth, hands tangling into the hair on the back of his head.

“No,” Sebastian agreed, a deeper than usual chuckle rising from his chest as his. Moving his hands from her hips, he lifted the hem of her sweatshirt up and slid beneath the fabric, making her back arch under the touch of his cool palms. He relished in how soft her skin was, enjoying the way she squirmed at the temperature difference between their skin. 

“We want such different things.” She continued, fighting a moan as his hands traveled further up her back. Rainier was almost dizzy, sighing, “But it’s so easy with you”

“I know,” Sebastian tried to stick to short answers, desperate to keep kissing her. 

That didn’t last though, because as soon as Rainier rubbed her hips down on his lap, he groaned out, “We don’t have to want the same thing, this can just feel good.” 

Rainier started moving her mouth to his jaw, planting quick, sloppy kisses down his neck. Sebastian’s hands tightened on her waist, his eyes rolling back in his head as she circled her hips again, bringing herself down on his now unhide-able erection. 

“It can just be that.” He panted. 

“Yeah?” She asked, sitting back enough to look at him.

Sebastian nodded, using his hands to pull her back into his chest, but Rainier resisted, even though she wanted to fall back into his mouth. “So we,” she started, breathing heavily, “We’re just doing this?”

Rainier didn’t wait for an answer, instead clarified, “Just having sex.”

Sebastian was again surprised with her to-the-point choice of vocabulary, even though sex was exactly what they were doing, it just made him blush. “I hope to be, yes.” He squeezed her again, pushing his hips up to meet hers this time. The pressure made her fingers dig into his shoulders again, but she stayed upright, “Not,” she waved one of her hands between them, gesturing, “Together, together.”

“Only physically.” Sebastian leaned forward to capture her lips again, sighing as she pulled back.

“Sorry, sorry, I know. Just to be really clear though, you are not going to catch feelings?” Rainier was never one to be vague, even when they could both agree this was terribly inconvenient timing.

“I am not going to catch feelings, Rainier.” Sebastian repeated, a funny grin on his face as he tried to stop himself from laughing. Rainier furrowed her brows, “Don’t laugh! I don’t want anyone to get hurt because we aren’t on the same page.”

Sebastian couldn’t help himself now, letting out a full laugh. Rainier rolled her eyes, waiting for him to finish. “We are on the same page.” He assured her, and as soon as he said it she relaxed, giving a quiet moan as he rubbed his hands up and down her back, “I find you incredibly sexy. We want very different things though.” 

Rainier’s eyes fell shut as he spoke, “Mm, talk dirty to me.” She joked, making them both laugh. “I’m going to move to the city, and you are going to grow vegetables until the end of time.”

His hands hooked her sweatshirt, tugging at the hem as Rainier raised her arms, the fabric going up and over her head, getting tossed to the floor. “In the meantime,” he continued, leaning forward and pressing his lips into the middle of her chest, “We’ll do this.”

Rainier’s head fell back, skin tingling now that she was so exposed, and warmth spreading where his lips pressed patterns into her collarbones. “Good,” she sighed breathily, shivering as Sebastian continued to kiss his way up to her neck, sucking gently at the spot just beneath her ear. Not wanting to be the only one with their shirt off, Rainier started pulling at the fabric of his hoodie. Sebastian took the hint, sitting up just enough to pull it off before leaning back, bringing Rainier back down against his chest. 

They pushed their mouths together again, this time with a new sense of urgency. Even with only pants between them Rainier wanted more, the pressure between her legs growing almost unbearable as Sebastian brought a hand between them to rub at the mound of her breast. She gasped into his mouth as he took the nipple between two fingers, rubbing it back and forth gently. 

Sebastian thought he might die if he didn’t get some kind of contact on his cock soon, the sound of her moaning against his lips driving him wild. Rainier managed to slide her hands between them, lifting her hips so she could grab at the button of his pants. Pulling the zipper down, she climbed off Sebastian’s lap completely, their mouths separating with a lewd sound. 

Eager, Sebastian stood as well, pulling his pants down and kicking them off. Rainier frantically pulled at her leggings, cursing as they got stuck around her ankles. They both stood in their underwear now, eyes meeting and chests heaving. Sebastian took in her body, the curve of her waist and the bruises on her shins, she looked so soft around the edges but strong. Not satisfied, Rainier stepped forward, tilting her head up to capture Sebastian’s lips with her own, her hands now on his hips as she teased at the band of his boxers. 

Sebastian felt the muscles in the bottom of his abdomen tighten as she began tugging the fabric down, teasingly slow, dragging it over his now painful erection. Once the fabric was low enough it fell the rest of the way to the floor, and Rainier pressed the flat of her stomach into him, moaning as she felt the head of his cock, wet with precum, slide against her. 

Not wanting to tease him longer than necessary, she moved her hips back, replacing her skin with her hand, wrapping it firmly around the base. Sebastian felt the remaining breath in his lungs leave in a single gasp, his hands digging into Rainier’s side as she rubbed her hand up and down his length, stopping at the top to circle the head and gather some of his slick. Rainier smiled into his mouth as he panted against her, body shaking just slightly as she moved faster. 

“You’re going to have to stop—” he spoke, words coming out in broken fragments, “I’m going to cum if you keep doing that.” 

Hearing him admit that made Rainier slow down, not completely stilling her hand until Sebastian wrapped his arms around her waist, spinning her around and pushing her down onto the couch. She landed with a thump, feeling exposed as Sebastian stood over her, his cock standing upright against his pale stomach. He was slim, but with his shirt off Rainier could see muscle definition that she didn’t know he had. 

Sebastian came down to his knees in front of the Rainer, smirking as her mouth fell open as she watched. Her legs opened to him and he moved to kneel between them, his fingers looping into the fabric covering her hips. She was desperate to be touched, immediately lifting her waist for him so he could pull them out from under her.

With the fabric gone she watched in anticipation as he leaned forward, not pressing his mouth quite where she wanted him. Instead he pressed a wet kiss on her hip, one of his hands propping him up while the other ran up her abdomen to her breasts, pulling at her nipples again. They were beyond teasing at this point, so Sebastian didn’t waste much time before lowering himself completely and opening his mouth on her vulva. 

Rainier’s hips bucked up into his mouth, the contact enough to make her light headed. He widened his tongue and ran it up and down her slit. Once he got to her entrance he moaned at the taste of her, the wetness there practically dripping between her legs. Licking back up, he focused himself on making small circles over her clit, dipping his tongue inside her occasionally, enjoying the way it made her mewl.

The sounds she released made Sebastian high, and Rainier wasn’t sure how much longer she would last if he kept going. “Oh, fuck,” she moaned, head straining back into the couch cushions, one of her hands coming up to cup the hand that Sebastian used to play with her chest, the other reaching for his head, trying to anchor herself as he continued to work on her clit. Her lower body was practically vibrating as Sebastian started lapping faster, going up and down on her clit now. 

“I’m going to cum,” she breathed, squirming in his hold, his free arm holding her waist down. 

“Sebastian,” she warned, voice getting more high pitched as she moaned again, fingers tangling in his hair and pulling, hard, “Sebastian!” 

Rainier felt her back arch off the couch as she came, her hips pushing further into his mouth as he worked her through her orgasm. Soon she was shaking, the sensation all too much, small gasps leaving her throat as she came down. Sebastian pulled away slowly, widening his tongue to lick up all of the slick that had formed, Rainier watched as he looked back up to her, his lips wet and eyelids low. 

“I want you inside me.” She spoke, not caring about anything other than feeling his cock right now. Sebastian was grateful for her forward speech this time, immediately crawling back up her body and slamming his mouth against hers. Rainier moaned as she tasted her cum in his mouth, her tongue eagerly dancing with his. 

“Condom,” Sebastian spoke, making both of them pause and look at each other. 

“Do you have a condom?” They asked at the same time.

Sebastian climbed off her, standing up and looking around for his pants. Rainier sprung off the couch, running to her bedroom, throwing open her nightstand drawer, tossing the books and other junk to the side in hopes to find even just one of those aluminum squares. 

She heard Sebastian curse in the other room, and she began to worry before triumphantly crying, “Yes!” As she found a small box in the bottom corner of the drawer, “I found one!”

Sebastian let his pants drop back to the floor, feeling so grateful he could actually cry, “Oh thank Yoba,” he said, meeting her halfway to the couch, wrapping his arms back around her waist and kissing her. 

They backed up to the couch together, barely avoiding tripping over their clothes that were strewn all over the place. Rainier put her hands on his chest, pushing gently, signaling that she wanted him to sit. He obliged, clumsily trying to pull her with him, not wanting to lose contact. Rainier stumbled as they continued to kiss, landing in his lap, straddling him. She sat far enough back on his thighs so his cock was between them, and after successfully wrangling a condom from the box she tossed it to the side, tearing the packet with her fingers. It was hard to do without looking, but Rainier managed to line the lubed material up with his member, quickly rolling it down his length. The contact made Sebastian take a deep breath, his whole body tingling with anticipation. 

They both pulled back to watch as Rainier shifted forward, lifting herself up to hover over him. Sebastian grabbed the base of his cock to guide it towards her entrance, pushing the head into her warmth, his eyes rolling back in his head as he did. Rainier let out a shaky moan as she sunk down onto him, her fingers pressing into his chest as she steadied herself and took the rest of him, once again sitting in his lap once she had taken him to the hilt. It was quiet for a moment, both of them just breathing. 

Sebastian let out a relieved moan as she started to move. “Ah,” she sighed quietly, her first few thrusts timid, lifting up just enough to be able to come back down, the sensation making her core shake. He kept his hands on her waist as she started to move faster, her hands moving from his chest to the cushions on either side of his head to give herself more leverage.

Rainier’s fingers curled around the fabric as she found a rhythm that took her over the entire length of Sebastian’s cock, each stroke brushing against the bundle of nerves deep inside her, sending a shock straight to her clit. Sebastian felt his breath getting faster as Rainier continued to ride him, he watched her face as her brow furrowed like she was focused, sweat glistening on her skin. It was almost too much to see her like this, her breasts bouncing and mouth slightly open, and as he felt the coil in the bottom of his stomach tightening more, he closed them, not wanting this to be over yet. 

“Rainier,” he moaned, pads of his fingers pressing deep into the thick of her hips before reaching around to grab her ass, gripping there and spreading her open, “Fuck that feels good.”

Rainier ate up the praise, lifting her hips up a little more on each stroke, teasing the head of his cock at the top, almost letting him slide out completely before sinking back down. Her legs were tired from all the movement, and for a brief moment she thought she might laugh when thinking,  _ “At least you’re stronger now from all the farm work.” _ The burn only encouraged her though, a surprisingly loud cry leaving her throat when Sebastian grabbed her ass harder and thrusted his hips up into her, his own moans getting louder. 

Opening her eyes she looked at him, the look on his face said that he was thinking the same thing, and she let herself be lifted and turned just enough to throw her back onto the couch, Sebastian now between her legs, cock miraculously still inside of her. 

“I didn’t realize you were so strong,” she breathed, flushed, as she watched Sebastian straighten himself out and chuckle at her, “Sh,” he teased. 

He brought one of her legs up over his shoulder, the other dangling over the edge of the couch. Sebastian planted one of his feet on the floor and wasted no time, thrusting hard and fast into her. Rainier’s eyes rolled back and closed, the change in position giving her a whole new angle of pleasure. She moaned his name, one hand coming up to still her breasts that were now bouncing with each thrust, “Faster,”

Sebastian was happy to oblige, leaning down to get closer to Rainier, putting one hand down on the couch and stretching her leg with him. Rainier craned her neck to meet his lips, one hand cupping his face as he started to pound his hips into her, the sensation of being stretched into this position only making her body burn hotter. 

“Fuck,” He cursed, eyes pinched shut as he felt himself teetering on the brink of orgasm, “Rainier, I’m—”

Rainier felt herself getting tighter, unable to control her breath now as he fucked harder, his hips faltering a bit, “Cum for me,” she begged, head falling back down against the couch, “I want you to cum.” 

Sebastian didn’t need any more encouragement than that, his thrusts growing sporadic as his body shook, orgasm crashing over him, cock throbbing as he spilled into the condom. Rainier followed right behind him, grateful her orgasm came before his thrusts stopped completely, and on one last thrust, deep into her, they both cried out as she came around him, milking his cock. Their moans slowed as Sebastian stopped moving against her, staying buried inside her for a moment, their labored breathing syncing up. 

Pulling out slowly, Sebastian sat up straight and gently brought Rainier’s leg back down to the couch. Rainier propped herself up on her elbows, watching as Sebastian stood up, pulling the condom off his cock before he went flaccid. He walked toward her bedroom, turning to her to ask, “Is the bathroom this way?”

She nodded, still in a bit of an orgasm haze, falling back down onto her back once he was in the other room, releasing a puff of air as she did so. 

“Fuck.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh I hope you enjoyed! Let me know your thoughts, I’m having so much fun writing this story. 
> 
> Thank you for reading!! Xx


	3. Chapter Three

This weather wasn’t exactly good for foraging. It was cold and rainy, and even with her raincoat and boots on Rainier felt herself getting soaked down to her skin, but she didn’t mind. This was her favorite type of weather. The overcast sky made all the colors seem a bit richer and the smell of the saturated Earth pleased her. 

When it was raining there was less to do around the farm, and today that meant Rainier could focus all of her attention on picking the blackberries that were ripe all over town this fall. Basket in hand, she walked around the damp ground of the Cindersap Forest, eagerly plucking the fresh berries from the bushes. As she moved to the bushes that lined the river she stopped, staring out at the dancing water. Each drop made its own waves, and as the rain picked up the entire surface of the river was in motion, making it impossible to see the bottom.

Continuing, Rainier found a patch of chanterelles and happily bent to pick them and add them to her spoils. Her basket was uncomfortably heavy now, she must’ve gathered hundreds of berries at this point. There was only one corner of the forest untouched however, and Rainier couldn’t bring herself to walk away from it. Even with her arms burning and lower back aching, she felt lucky to be where she was at this moment. On a rainy day, not watching it through a window, but instead absolutely soaking wet after spending the majority of her day picking berries. A laugh left her throat at the idea, because who would have ever thought. 

—

Harvey knew it was odd to like walking in the rain when it was as cold as it was today. He really did enjoy it though, and as soon as he had wrapped up his work for the day he threw on his raincoat and grabbed an umbrella. The Cindersap Forest was his favorite place to go because he never ran into anyone out there. One time he did run into Rasmodius when he got too close to his tower but he quickly understood not to do that again. 

Harvey hurried past Marnie’s place so she wouldn’t spot him through the window and insist that he come in. Moving past Leah’s cottage, he followed the river until he found a spot where he knew he was completely out of sight. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to talk to anyone, okay, maybe it was that. He really did his best to stay available to everyone, but the reality was he liked to be alone. All of the regular conversations got exhaustive. 

Even after all the years that Harvey had been living there, none of the town folks felt like they knew much of anything about his life. Conversations were always rather surface level, Harvey would ask questions about their life, but people rarely returned the questions with any real interest. So he kept things short. Soon people imagined their own versions of Harvey’s life, debating what brought him here and what he was interested in. 

The theories about his secret life amused him, if only because it meant the folks in town couldn’t stand the thought that he was really just this boring. He heard the whispers about the possible life he once had in the city, it always involved an estranged wife, messy divorce, she cheated on him of course, with his best friend of all people. Harvey had to flee the city because he was so devastated and that’s why he came to Pelican Town. He chuckled to himself just at the thought, shaking his head with a sigh. He managed to be so boring that it was unbelievable. 

Harvey grew up in Zuzu city and went to med school there too. He was never married, there wasn’t any time for relationships when he was in school and once he finished his residency he worked in the ER doing swing shifts. He was awake when the only other people up were sick and injured. 

Both of his parents were doctors, and of their three children, two became doctors as well. The third went on to be a therapist, and they still can’t get through a holiday dinner without talking about it like they died. There was always the expectation and Harvey never thought of doing anything other than fulfilling it.

Harvey loved the emergency room at first. It was fast paced and he loved being busy. It wasn’t sustainable though. He would go days without even seeing his apartment, just sleeping in the on-call room during his back to back 12 hour shifts. The day he decided he was done wasn’t even a particularly bad day, there were the regular car accidents and a kid with a Lego stuck in his nose. It was while Harvey was working on his charts that he realized it was over. No big dramatic moment, no yelling or screaming, he just realized that he couldn’t do it anymore.

Once he quit he didn’t get another job right away, he told himself that he was taking some time to figure out his next step. At first he didn’t know what to do with his free time. It was painful, really, not having an alarm set, not having anywhere to hustle to. He must’ve gone through a hundred hobbies those few weeks, he tried everything: knitting, wood carving, soap making, book binding, gardening, painting. None of it stuck. One thing that did end up working was making model airplanes. 

Of course the nerdiest thing was the one he liked, but it took up his time and taught him how to slow down, something he hadn’t done in years. When he was younger he thought he wanted to be a pilot. The first pair of thick bifocals at age 10 crushed that dream. It was for the better though, Harvey loved being a doctor, and as ironically as the universe would have it, he was terrified of heights. 

After two months he started looking for jobs again, he felt ready and missed working. There weren’t many options that interested him in the city, so he expanded his search and found a listing for a town in need of a family doctor. It was a private practice; Harvey would be the only one working out of the clinic, and the town was small, less than 50 people small. There was an apartment above the clinic for the doctor should they want it. It sounded like too much of a step back for Harvey, but he quickly sent off his resume anyway. 

He got a phone call exactly 13 minutes later from a man named Lewis, the mayor of Pelican Town. Lewis spoke quickly and got distracted easily, but by the end of the conversation they scheduled a time to meet the next day. The rest is history. Now the practice was a well-oiled machine, they even saw some patients from the adjoining small towns. Sometimes it was busy, but never as busy as life before. 

The sky was so full of clouds that it was almost dark outside. As Harvey walked deeper into the Cindersap forest the darkness made it feel a bit eerie, so he decided this was far enough, and stood still, just listening to the sound of the rain bouncing off his umbrella. 

Somewhere in the distance Harvey heard some kind of splashing and felt his stomach drop. He heard about the weird creatures that lurked in the corners of town, he always told himself it was all folklore, but the stories were graphic enough to make him feel thoroughly scared as the splashing got closer. 

Turning just a little, Harvey jumped when he saw a figure standing in the distance. He relaxed once he looked a little harder and realized that figure was a person, letting out a relieved puff of air. The person was holding a basket, and Harvey chuckled to himself, “Rainier.” 

She was wearing a raincoat and boots, but even from over here he could see that she was soaked through. Harvey heard Rainier grunt as she wrestled with her basket, watching as he set it back down on the ground with a huff, angrily bringing her hand up to push her hood back off her head, revealing a soaked head of hair. 

Rainier sneezed, and Harvey hated how cute it looked even this far away. Harvey thought about making himself known, not wanting to just stand in the distance watching like a creep. He didn’t have a chance though, because Rainier wiped at her face with one of her wet hands and took a deep breath before picking her basket up again and continuing on her way. 

—

The rain was still falling when Rainier woke up the next day, and she was surprised to see that the usual sunlight was not streaming through her bedroom window. Rainier yawned as she sat up, trying to find the energy to get out of bed. She wasn’t sure if it was the moody lighting, or just exhaustion, but leaving the warmth of her bed seemed impossible. 

For the first time since moving to the farm, she got back under the covers, sighing to herself, “Just 10 more minutes.” 

—

The rain hadn’t slowed by the time Rainier woke up again, she wasn’t sure what time it was, but she knew she needed to go check on her animals. Reluctantly, she swung her legs over the side of the bed, wincing as her feet made contact with the cold floor. The chill almost hurt, and as she got a head rush just from sitting up, she let out a groan, “Oh no.”

Hurrying to the bathroom, she threw open her medicine cabinet, frantically looking for her thermometer, or vitamin c tablets, or fever reducers, anything really. As she tried to will the feeling away, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror, face flushed and eyes bloodshot. Rainier left the bathroom, not even bothering to take anything before throwing herself back onto her bed. Rainier seldom got sick. During flu season in Zuzu she would religiously take immune system boosting supplements and aggressively wash her hands. Now that she lived on the farm none of that even crossed her mind. Another loud groan was released into the fabric when Rainier realized she didn’t have any medicine here, because she never got sick.

—

Harvey heard the bell of the front door opening and put his pen down, yelling from the other room, “I’ll be right with you!” 

Rainier plopped down in one of the waiting room chairs, crossing her arms across her chest to try and stay warm. She had wrapped herself in two sweaters but still felt so cold. Harvey rounded the corner to the front of the office and felt his stomach drop a little when he saw Rainier. 

“Rainier,” he started, adjusting the stethoscope around his neck, “What brings you in today?”

As soon as Rainier turned to him he had his answer, her face was flushed, beads of sweat on her forehead even though her body language said she was freezing. “I don’t feel good.” 

Harvey gave her a sad smile as he motioned for her to come with him, “Yeah?”

Rainier nodded in response, a precious pout on her face. It felt like she was moving so slow, but she followed him into the exam room, grateful to sit back down on the table. Harvey turned to the sink and washed his hands, drying them with a paper towel before pulling on a pair of gloves. He opened a few different cabinets, pulling various things out and setting them on the tray next to the exam table. 

“When did your symptoms start?” Harvey asked, his back to her. Rainier looked at him with foggy eyes, feeling impossibly tired, “This morning. Maybe last night, but mostly today.”

Harvey thought about bringing up that he saw her in the forest last night, when he saw her he feared she would get sick after getting so wet and cold. 

“And how do you feel?” he asked, turning back to her and sitting down onto his stool. 

“Cold. My head hurts, everything hurts. I never get sick.” Rainier grumbled, fighting the desire to lay down completely. 

“Mm, it is flu season. May I?” he asked, standing back up and putting his stethoscope in his ears. Rainier nodded, leaning forward a bit, welcoming him. He placed the bell against her back and laughed, realizing the fabric of her sweaters were too thick to hear a thing. 

“This might be a little cold,” he warned, his hand traveling down her back to lift the edge of her sweater. Rainier quietly winced as the cool air of the clinic hit her warm back, and recoiled as Harvey placed the cold bell gently against her skin. He made a reassuring sound, and as usual, the simple touch made her heart rate speed up, and she desperately willed it to come down. After a few moments Harvey hummed, pulling her sweater back down. Harvey proceeded to take the rest of her vitals quietly, neither of them saying anything as he moved. He was efficient but gentle, and despite nothing being said, she still felt incredibly calm.

As Harvey rubbed a swab on the inside of her nostril, she said, a little deliriously, “You have good doctor energy.” 

“And you have a fever.” He chuckled in response, “I’ll be right back.” 

Harvey went to the other room to start the flu swab test, putting both of his hands on the edge of the counter and taking a deep breath while he waited. He wondered if she knew the kind of effect she had on him. Rainier, meanwhile in the other room, eyes burning with her fever, happily laid down onto the table, making herself comfortable. 

As suspected, the test came back positive, and Harvey let out a sigh, taking more time than he would care to adjust his coat and shirt before heading back to the exam room. She stirred once he crossed the threshold, opening her eyes and moving to sit back up, yawning, “I’m sorry.” 

“No need to apologize.” Harvey assured her, taking a seat in front of her. “You have the flu.”

Rainier felt her temperature fluctuate, suddenly feeling too hot. She moved to lift one of her sweaters over her head. The fabric grabbed onto the other however, exposing her midriff as she wrestled with it. Harvey’s eyes widened, the smooth skin of her stomach surprising him. He couldn’t look away as she squirmed, the fabric now stuck over her face, some small grunts coming from Rainier as she struggled. The bottom of her rib cage came into view and Harvey swallowed thickly, surprised by the shape of her waist. She had gentle curves, something Harvey had not been able to see in her usual clothing. 

Rainier knew she was exposed at this point, but couldn’t bring herself to care. With one final tug she gave up on trying to just get the outer layer, and brought both sweaters up over her head. Huffing, she was now just sitting in her bra, chest heaving as she tossed the fabric down next to her. The fabric covering her breasts was thin, the almost mesh-like black fabric peaked where her nipples were, making them visible. It was beyond inappropriate to stare, Harvey knew this, but he couldn’t pull his eyes away from the soft curve of her cleavage. He followed the straps of her bra, noting the gentle slope where her shoulders met her neck, and the small hollows were her collar bones gently pushed against her skin.

She saw that Harvey’s eyes were wide and felt acutely aware that she should be embarrassed, but she was so hot that she couldn’t be bothered, and offered a breathy, “I’m sorry.”

Harvey shook his head, consciously pulling his gaze away from her, “No, no, you’re fine.”

Rainier started to untangle her sweaters and Harvey cleared his throat, the air around him feeling thick, stuttering as he tried to gather his thoughts. Focusing, he spoke, “I will give you a decongestant and some fever reducers, but unfortunately other than that we’ll just have to wait it out. I urge you to stay away from other folks for a few days, don’t want to pass this around.”

The two looked at each other for a moment, and Harvey wracked his brain to see if there was anything else he wanted to say as Rainier, having successfully separated the fabric, pulled her lighter sweater back over her head. Harvey watched, fascinated as her body moved, her arms coming up above her head making her abdomen stretch out for a moment, her breasts soon covered again. Rainier just smiled at him, clearly oblivious to her charm.

“Any questions?” he offered, needing this to end. Rainier shook her head. “Great,” he continued, “Let me go grab that medicine and you’ll be all set.” 

Harvey almost ran into the corner of the wall as he left the room, and Rainier tried not to chuckle. In the haze of her fever, she noted how nervous he was, finding herself completely infatuated with him, something she thought she had started to move on from. The normal part of her mind urged her not to be naïve but she couldn’t help but hope he was that flustered over her. 

—

_ Harvey gripped her waist with one hand, pulling her to stand flush between his legs. Rainier settled there, bringing her hands up to play with the buttons of his shirt, the fluttering in her stomach keeping her from looking up at him. He watched as she used her finger tips to trace the small outline of each button in her reach, resting his forehead against hers. She looked up now, his eyes so close to hers. _

_ “Hi,” she breathed. Harvey just smiled back, tilting to kiss her. Rainier melted into the kiss, her hands still between them, clutching the fabric of his shirt. He pulled back after a moment, not wanting to deepen the kiss too far, placing a soft kiss on her forehead before leaning back completely.  _

_ As Harvey took another sip of his drink Rainier turned around, leaning against him, pressing her back against his chest and letting her head fall back onto his shoulder. She could feel his breath fanning over her neck, and the sensation made her skin prickle with goosebumps.  _

_ Harvey set his drink down and put his face into the curve of her neck, running his nose across the skin there, delighting in the sigh that left Rainier’s mouth.  _

The sound of Harvey’s alarm startled him more than usual today, he sat up with a gasp, his hand coming to hover over his chest. Realizing what he had been dreaming of, he shook his head, feeling bad for even unconsciously fantasizing about it. 

Ignoring the tenting in his briefs, Harvey reluctantly climbed out of bed, raising his arms above his head to stretch as he yawned. He shuffled to the kitchen, flipping the switch on his coffee maker that he prepared the night before, like he always does. Harvey had a routine, he liked his routine. When he worked in the ER he didn’t keep much of a routine, it was always about rolling with the punches. Going to the gym when you could make time, showering when you had a minute, brushing your teeth in the bathroom at work on a break. Now that life was slower, he relished in his routine.

He pulled on a variation of the same outfit he wore every day and buttoned up as he walked back to the kitchen, where as usual, the coffee was finishing up. Grabbing a mug from the cabinet he filled it to the brim and immediately took a sip, even though it was hot enough to burn his tongue a little. He quickly poured the rest of the coffee into a thermos before heading down the clinic, carefully going down the stairs so as not to spill the very full mug of coffee in his hand.

Using his elbow, he flipped the switch at the bottom, illuminating the whole clinic as he did so. Maru did a great job of setting things out for Harvey for the next day, and as he set his coffee down he immediately grabbed the charts off the counter, flipping through them to see who would be coming in. It was one of their busier days of the week.

After reviewing the charts Harvey grabbed the newspaper and began to read his daily articles while he finished his mug of coffee. By the time he got to the last page the familiar sound of the door being unlocked signaled Maru’s arrival for the day. 

“Hi Doc!” she said, cheery as ever, huffing a little as she balanced all of her bags. Harvey looked up, smiling in her direction. 

“Hello, Maru.” He greeted her, surprised to see someone following behind her. “I know he doesn’t have an appointment,” she started, revealing Sebastian standing behind her as the door shut behind them, “But someone is presenting flu symptoms.”

Sebastian took one of his hands from his pockets, bringing it up to wave at Harvey and sheepishly say, “Hey,”

Harvey gave him a smile as well, “Good morning, Sebastian.” 

Maru set her things on the counter, “I was hoping you might be able to see him before your first appointment.”

Harvey nodded, “Of course, take him to the back please.”

Harvey stood from the desk and headed to the exam room, immediately washing his hands and pulling on a pair of gloves. Sebastian sat on the table, face flushed. 

“Tell me what’s going on.” Harvey said as he put his stethoscope on, starting to take his vitals.

Sebastian sighed, “I’ve just got a bit of a fever and my throat hurts.”

“Mm,” Harvey let him know that he was listening, “Well, it is flu season.”

Sebastian nodded, letting Harvey continue to inspect him. Maru took his flu swab to be tested and Harvey stayed in the room with Sebastian, taking this opportunity to update his chart. 

“Any other complaints today?” Harvey asked, looking up to where Sebastian sat hunched over.

He shook his head, no. Harvey nodded, following up with, “Have you been hanging out with anyone else other than your family?”

At the beginning of flu season he always tried to track where it’s headed, especially considering how small the town was. Harvey was surprised to see Sebastian get even more sheepish, adjusting where he sat and clearing his throat before saying, “Uh, well I was hanging out with Rainier. She texted me that she’s sick, so I don’t know if that is like, I don’t know,” he stopped rambling, hoping that Dr. Harvey got the point. 

Harvey made a conscious effort not to let his eyes go wide, clarifying, “Rainier?”

Sebastian nodded, and Maru walked back in the room, making a funny face and teasingly saying, “Yes,  _ Rainier _ .”

Harvey watched as Sebastian scowled at his sister, quietly grumbling, “Stop.”

Maru waggled her eyebrows but didn’t continue, just handing Harvey the report, “It’s positive.”

Harvey worked through his flu spiel, the same one he gave Rainier the day before. After he wrapped things up with Sebastian he told Maru he forgot something upstairs, practically running up the hallway. Once the door was shut he threw his back against it, taking a deep breath. 

“Fuck.” He groaned, taking his glasses off with one hand and rubbing his eyes with the heel of his palm with the other. Rainier and Sebastian. It made sense, of course it did. They were close in age, they seemed to get along well. 

Harvey’s mind ran with thoughts, asking questions that he knew he wouldn’t get answers too,  _ “Were they just hanging out? Are they dating? How serious is it? Did they have sex?” _

He interrupted himself, asking out loud, “Why do you care?”

—

“So,” Harvey spoke, hoping to sound casual, maybe even a little uninterested, “Rainier and Sebastian are a thing now?”

Maru continued to process the samples in front of her, humming in acknowledgment to Harvey who was standing on the other side of the counter, sorting through some mail. 

“You know I’m never up to date on the town gossip.” He continued the small talk as he opened an envelope. Maru finished what she was working on, releasing a laugh as she said, “That’s because you never leave the clinic.”

Harvey made a tsk sound before arguing, “I leave the clinic almost every day!”

Rolling her eyes, Maru continued to tease, “Yeah, to go for a walk by yourself. Or to take a book to the saloon to read by yourself.”

Harvey felt his cheeks getting just a little pink, knowing she was right. “Anyway,” she drawled, “Sebastian and Rainier are not, not a thing.”

Harvey tilted his head, “Not, not a thing?”

Maru pulled the samples back out, jotting some notes down as she explained, “You really have to keep up, doc. They’re casual, not an,” she used air quotes, “Item.”

“Not an item.” Harvey repeated quietly in response, nodding. “Interesting.”

Maru hummed again, “Yup. Wouldn’t make sense for them to date, Sebastian wants to move to the city and Rainier just moved here.”

“So they’re dating, but they’re not together?” Harvey offered, not quite sure he understood. Maru shook her head, laughing again, “No, they’re just a thing.”

Seeing that he still wasn’t on the same page, Maru added, “Sex, doc. They just had sex.”

Harvey’s eyes got wide and Maru laughed loudly as she went to the back to put her supplies away. The pit of his stomach started to burn, but oddly enough he felt relieved to know. He nodded to himself as he finished going through the last of the mail.

Maru emerged from the back with her bag slung over her shoulder, turning to Harvey, “Alright, I’m going to head out. Need anything else before I go?”

Harvey shook his head, smiling, “No, no. Thank you for your hard work.”

“Anytime,” Maru smiled back, unable to resist one more jab, “For real though, you have to get out more.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Harvey grumbled, shooing her away with his free hand. He could hear her laugh even once the door closed. 

—

Rainier felt her phone buzzing the pocket of her overalls and quickly tried to pull her dirty gloves off, tossing them onto the basket of produce she had harvested. Trying not to sound out of breath, she picked up, “Hello?

A voice came through the phone, and she immediately recognized it, “Hi, Rainier, this is Maru with the clinic, how are you?” 

It was the first day Rainier had started to feel slightly human again, and she took the opportunity to catch up on some of the farm chores she got behind on. Walking towards the porch and sitting down on the edge, she replied, “Hi, Maru. I’m good, thank you.”

“We just wanted to check in and see how you were feeling?” Maru continued, twirling a pen between her fingers as she stood by the phone. Harvey walked up front, sitting down at the computer.

Rainier smiled, once again struck by the small town charm, “I feel much better, thank you. Fever hasn’t come back; I’m even outside doing work.”

Maru smiled, writing the casenote in her chart, “That’s great! Please let us know if you need anything else.”

Rainier nodded, “Will do, thank you.”

As she got ready to hang up, she heard Maru speak up again, “Oh! And not work related,” Maru’s voice shifted from her professional tone to casual comically fast, “If you’re feeling better, a bunch of us will be at the saloon on Saturday. You should come.”

Harvey wasn’t trying to eavesdrop but couldn’t help but overhear Maru’s plans. Before Rainier could respond she added mischievously, “Sebastian will be there.”

Feeling her eyes roll, she smiled and laughed as she said, “I’ll think about it.” 

Harvey heard Maru put the phone down and looked up, raising his eyebrows quizzically. Maru raised her eyebrows back, “What?” 

Harvey just shook his head jokingly, looking back to his computer as he teased, “We’re having personal conversations on the clock now, huh?

Maru rolled her eyes in response, “You know, you could also come to the saloon on Saturday.”

Without meaning to, Harvey released a scoff, starting to type an email. 

“I’m serious!” Maru insisted, “Everyone will be there.”

Harvey was going to make some deprecating comment about being too old and them being too young to want to hang out with him, but when remembering that Rainier would be there, he replied, “I’ll think about it.” 

—

“Hey,” a familiar voice spoke, “You’re feeling better.” 

Rainier put her phone into her pocket, looking up to see Sebastian walking through the town square. It was dark now, only the street lamps providing light. She furrowed her brow at him, pointing at him accusingly, “ _ You _ .” She practically sneered, “You gave me the flu.”

Sebastian couldn’t help but laugh at her, continuing to walk towards the saloon, chuckling. He grabbed the door, walking in and reaching behind himself to hold it open long enough for her to follow him inside. They looked around, and after spotting Abigail and Sam, Sebastian immediately headed towards them, tossing Rainier a, “Later.”

She smiled in response, heading to the bar. Maru wasn’t lying, everyone really was here tonight, she hadn’t seen it quite this busy before. Maru was sitting at a table with Leah, both of their cheeks pink from the empty glasses of wine in front of them. Unsure of where to sit, as usual, Gus made the choice easier, leaning against the counter and asking over the music, “What can I get you?”

Rainier stepped up, giving him her order before pulling out the stool there and sitting down to wait. It got a little less awkward every time she came out. Gus slid a glass across the bar to her, and she quickly said thank you and took a sip. The stool next to her was pulled back as she put her drink back down. 

“Hello, Rainier,” Harvey spoke, sitting down. She was surprised to see him, her voice cracking as she turned to see his face, “Hi, Dr. Harvey.”

Harvey settled, smiling and gently insisting, “You can just call me Harvey.”

Rainier nodded, taking another sip and listening as Harvey ordered himself a drink. As usual just being near him made her nervous, and she shifted where she sat, all of a sudden unsure where to put her hands. 

Harvey turned himself so he was facing Rainier, “Feeling better, I presume?” 

Not wanting to be rude, Rainier turned herself as well, muttering a quick, “Sorry,” as she knocked her knee against his. He watched as she adjusted and left one of her knees between his, not touching, but there, the other one on the other side of his leg. It felt familiar, Harvey noted.

“Yes, much better. Thank you.” Rainier smiled, asking curiously, “Do you ever get sick?”

Harvey shook his head, “I did when I was younger, seems my immune system is stronger now that I’ve been doing this for a while.” 

They both grabbed their drinks and took a sip, the sound of the room filling the silence. Her nerves relaxed the longer she was around him, and Rainier felt comfortable enough to continue their small talk, asking, “How long have you been doing this?”

Harvey took one more sip before setting his glass down, and Rainier clarified, “Practicing medicine, that is.”

“Oh goodness,” Harvey sighed, “I’m really about to date myself here, but almost eight years.” 

He was surprised to see that Rainier didn’t even flinch, the same neutral smile on her face while she took another drink. Harvey felt like he was eight years younger again, his stomach filled with some kind of fluttering just being face to face with her. There had been a few relationships over the past few years, all good, but it was never right. Never the right timing, the right place. 

“Spare me the math,” Rainier said, just slightly cheeky, “How old are you?” 

Harvey felt his mind freeze, embarrassed to say it out loud, “34.” 

Rainier knew that he knew her age, he was her doctor after all, but she wondered if he cared. That would imply that he had thought about the possibility of them being together, in some capacity other than acquaintances of course, but she still wondered. 

Relaxing her thighs, a bit, she stopped tensing in order to keep her leg from touching Harvey’s and let the limb fall against his knee. It was a small bit of contact, just the high point of his knee pressing into the flesh on the side of her thigh. No more than you might touch someone you were riding the bus with, but they both felt incredibly aware of it. Rainier thought about pulling back, even turning back to the bar and putting her legs together. 

When she looked at Harvey though, his eyes were turned to their legs. The idea that he noticed was enough to make her want to stay right where she was. They were barely touching, really, yet Harvey felt his whole body go warm. When he managed to pull himself away from the sight, he saw Rainier still looking at him, an almost knowing look on her face. It was impossible to know what she was thinking but he desperately wished he could, even if just for this moment. 

Harvey’s head fell back a bit when he really laughed, Rainier noticed. The line of his throat would show and he would always bring a hand up to fix his glasses afterwards. He used his middle finger to push the lenses further up the bridge of his nose, and Rainier came to admire the visible strength in his hands, the broad palms and defined veins. 

Just as Harvey was getting ready to ask Rainier more about her crops, he noticed Sebastian coming up behind her, standing close enough that his abdomen almost pressed into her back. Harvey gave a small smile to Sebastian who didn’t say anything in response, instead looked to Rainier who was twisting herself to try and get a look at his face. 

“Hey,” she spoke, sounding a little apprehensive, “What’s up?”

Sebastian gave her a smile that made Harvey want to look away, but he continued to watch as Sebastian brought one of his hands to cup the side of Rainier’s waist, barely visible, a poor attempt at being secretive. Rainier pulled away from the touch, shifting a bit on her stool to face him.

“Just wanted to say hi.” Sebastian claimed, using his free hand to accept the drink that Gus passed him over the bar. Rainier nodded, feeling uncertain about this public display of affection, resisting the urge to melt into Sebastian’s touch, one that was familiar now, and made her skin prickle with anticipation. Harvey turned his gaze away, trying not to pay so much attention to this clearly intimate interaction and failing to ignore the fact that his leg was still touching Rainier. 

Out of the corner of his eye he could see Sebastian leaning down to bring his mouth closer to Rainier’s ear, the words he whispered not audible over the music of the bar. Rainier felt her face warm as Sebastian’s lips hovered over the shell of her ear, the warmth of his breath fanning down her neck as he spoke, voice low and gravely, “I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you.”

Rainier gulped, staring at the door while Sebastian spoke. Sebastian put a little more pressure against Rainier’s back, pressing them even closer as he continued. Almost unconsciously, Rainier felt herself nod, if only to let Sebastian know that she was listening, “Find me before you leave tonight.”

Sebastian stood up straight again, effectively releasing Rainier from his hold, and heading back to the other side of the bar to sit. Harvey was staring forward at the bar, head tilting back as he downed the rest of his drink. Rainier quickly snapped out of it and sat up straight, turning her attention back to Harvey. “I’m sorry,” she spoke, “What were you saying?” 

Rainier felt her heart race as Harvey turned back to her, feeling embarrassed that he saw that, and worrying what he thought. 

“That’s okay,” he gave her that same damn smile that he always did, only this time his eyes didn’t crinkle like they usually do, “I’m actually going to head out, I’ve got some stuff to catch up on at the clinic.”

Rainier felt her mouth open to say something, feeling her stomach drop. Harvey was already moving to stand, their legs separating as he did so. “Have a good night, Rainier.”

As he walked out the door she turned herself back to the bar, tilting her head back to down the rest of her drink before setting the glass back down, and realizing that she really didn’t want him to go. In fact at this moment, the only thing she knew she wanted was to be with him for a little longer, in whatever way she could. Not letting herself think about it any more, she stood up, quickly walking out of the saloon, not bothering to grab her things. 

Sebastian watched Rainier follow Harvey from where he sat in the other room, all the times he saw Rainier and Harvey together making much more sense, and thinking to himself,  _ “Good for her.”  _

Maybe he felt a little bad for being so cheeky in front of Harvey now. Maybe. 

The air outside was much cooler than the saloon was. The crisp breeze made her shiver just slightly as she continued to fast walk towards the clinic. An audible sigh of relief left her mouth as she saw Harvey hadn’t quite reached the door yet, his hand in his pockets searching for his keys. 

“Harvey.” She spoke, not a yell, almost too quiet for Harvey to make out what he heard. Turning, he saw Rainier walking towards him, her arms crossed over her chest to stay warm. “Rainier?” He asked, clearly surprised to see her following after him. 

“I— ” she started, sounding slightly out of breath as her nervousness took her breath away. It was easy to feign confidence and it was easy to be casual. It felt paralyzing to be honest and to take a risk. A million thoughts ran through her head as she tried to find her words, the confusion of what she felt begging her to return to the saloon and forget this. 

It felt impossible to ignore that there was something about Harvey. It wasn’t just physical attraction, it wasn’t just good conversation. It was something fundamental about the way his presence made her feel, and Rainier knew that it made absolutely no sense and that there were no words that would be able to describe that here, in the middle of town square, but she would try anyway. 

“I,” she began again, Harvey feeling his pulse through his entire body as he listened, “I didn’t want you to leave.” 

Harvey opened his mouth as his cheeks turned what he could only assume was bright red, “You didn’t want me to leave?”

Rainier nodded, shifting where she stood, every additional moment of silence making her feel more foolish for doing this. “Yes.” She stuttered in response, “I just, I want you to stay a bit longer.”

Harvey knew what she meant and wanted nothing more than to reassure her, to tell her that he didn’t want to leave either, that he wanted to spend as much time talking to her as he possibly could. That no one had ever made him laugh like she did. That no one had ever listened like she does. 

He couldn’t do that though. 

“Rainier, I’m sorry,” he spoke, and Rainier immediately felt her eyes start burning again, her body going completely cold but not from the autumn breeze. Harvey felt his stomach in his throat as he finished, “I don’t think that I should.” 

Rainier was grateful for the distance, now worried that the tears would start to spill over and Harvey would see it. Harvey watched as Rainier nodded, the most strained smile raising her cheeks. As soon as he said it he wanted to take it back. He had convinced himself that this wasn’t happening for a reason, that there were too many things keeping this, whatever it was, from being realistic. But he knew that wasn’t true, he was just sabotaging himself like he always did.

“Rainier,” he said even quieter this time, but she didn’t let him finish, just nodding as she icily said, “No, I get it. Really, don’t worry about it.” 

He felt his chest physically hurting as he watched her try to keep it cool, and he couldn’t believe that he was doing this. Everything he said he wanted was standing right in front of him, and she was brave enough to admit that she wanted it to. That was something he never was. Brave. 

And he hated himself for it. 

“Wait,” he called as she turned on her heels to head back to the saloon, “Rainier—” 

Rainier heard him calling after her but couldn’t bring herself to turn back around, tears stinging at the corners of her eyes, feeling many things, the biggest being rejected. 

As she disappeared from his view he thought he might be sick, his stomach turning. He hadn’t realized that his fists were clenched at his side, his fingernails digging painfully into his palms, leaving small half moon impressions in the flesh. Shakily, he pulled his keys out again, unlocking the door to the clinic. Closing the door behind himself, he let his forehead rest against the frame. The clinic felt almost deafeningly silent as a familiar loneliness enveloped him. Harvey knew more clearly than ever that it was no fault but his own.

Rainier leant her back against the wall of the saloon, standing just out of Harvey’s sight but not too close to the door. 

“Yoba,” she shakily cursed, “You fucking idiot.” 

A sob threatened to wrack her body, the act of just breathing getting troublesome. Rainier begged herself to calm down, feeling silly for wanting to cry. Part of her thought that maybe Harvey would come after her. That he was just as nervous as she was and said something he didn’t mean. But as the sound of the clinic door opening and shutting traveled through the air she knew that wasn’t a lie she could tell herself. She felt stupid for putting herself out there, realizing that it really was all just in her head. 

Soon she caught her breath and she stood up off the wall, adjusting her clothing and running a hand through her hair. 

“Okay.” She breathed, not letting herself think too much about what folks in the bar might think. No one was paying attention to her anyway. 

Rainier took a deep breath as walked inside and she settled on her stool, waiting for Gus to return with a drink. When Gus passed it to her with a pitying look, she furrowed her brow at him, warning him not to give her that look. He nodded in response, receiving the silent message, but couldn’t help but impart his vague wisdom like he always did, “In time, Rainier.” 

Rainier knew that it was still early in the night, but her body ached in an all too familiar way, the kind of ache that tied her to her bed many times, even the weight of her blankets strong enough to hold her down. At the same time the last thing she wanted was to be alone. To walk back to the farm, alone. To peel her clothing off, change into her pajamas, wash her face, brush her teeth, only to get into bed, alone. No one to bump into, no one to fight over the sink with, no one to talk to when it took awhile for sleep to come for her. 

The loneliness felt suffocating, and it had for years. It wasn’t just being touched that she craved, it was being with no one but herself and her thoughts. When sleep escaped her and there was nothing to do but stare at the ceiling, only the sound of her own breathing filling the silence. 

Even just the thought of it made her chest ache, the awareness of it threatening to draw tears again. Wanting to think about anything but that, she grabbed her jacket from the stool next to her and stood up, walking over to where Sebastian was sitting on the couch. Abigail and Sam were busy playing with the games that lined the wall, and Sebastian was focused on his phone. 

_ “How predictable.” _ Her mind taunted her as she took a seat next to him, not bothering to leave any space between them. Sebastian looked up as she lowered on to the cushion, a smile rising on his face, surprised to see that she was here.

“Hey,” he immediately brought his arm up to drape over her shoulder, pulling her even further into his side, “What’re you doing over here?” 

Rainier smiled up at him, relishing in the warmth that fell over her body as he pulled her closer, his hand squeezing her arm. “Just wanted to see you.” 

“Yeah?” He asked, smile turning into a mischievous grin. He wanted to ask what happened with Harvey, but the way she cuddled into his side reminded him that it wasn’t any of his business. 

“Mhm,” Rainier replied, bringing her hand up to rest dangerously high up on his thigh, and rubbing the fabric of his jeans there. Sebastian flinched at the touch, his free hand coming to still hers with a sound akin to a growl. Rainier let out a giggle that made her cringe at herself but that drove Sebastian wild. 

The two settled there, Rainier sliding her hand to a more appropriate place on his leg, and letting her head fall back against his bicep. She found herself gazing off into the distance at nothing in particular as her mind chastised her for running to Sebastian’s touch. 

Sebastian adjusted his arm so that it was no longer wrapped around Rainier, his elbow falling off the back of the couch, allowing his fingers to dig into Rainier’s hair, his fingers opening and closing along the base of her skull, rubbing her scalp. The sensation made Rainier’s eyes roll back in her head for a moment, snapping her out of her gaze, goosebumps rising on her skin. 

“Oh,” she sighed, barely audible.

Sebastian watched as she practically melted, a pleasant burn starting in his stomach. “You don’t wear your hair down that often.” he noticed, continuing to move his fingers in her hair. Rainier offered a small shrug, “Not super practical for a farmer.”

Sebastian nodded with a small chuckle, “Fair. I like it.” 

“Yeah?” Rainier asked, desperate for more approval. 

Instead of answering, Sebastian leaned in just enough to press his lips against hers. Rainier would’ve pulled back, they were in public after all, everyone could see them. Not a single part of her cared though. Satisfied with the light touch, Sebastian got ready to lean back, but Rainier brought one of her hands up to cup his cheek, stilling him as she deepened the kiss. 

Sam started to whoop from the sidelines, trying to balance playing the game and looking over to the action. The noise made Abigail lookup, a yelp escaping her as she saw the two tangled up in each other. Sebastian started to laugh against Rainier’s mouth and she couldn’t help but smile back, effectively breaking their kiss. Not quite willing to end the moment yet, Sebastian spoke against her mouth, “You want to get out of here?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was so dramatic y’all pftftft. i’m sure you know what’s coming next 
> 
> I love writing this fic!! I hope you enjoy it, let me know if you have any thoughts! :0)
> 
> Have a bit more time on my hands lately, hopefully will be updating again this week.


	4. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Is this pretty much 10,000 words of smut? Perhaps. Is it as dramatic as ever? Absolutely.

The walk back to the farm went faster than usual. The crisp air did little to sober them up, and they chuckled to each other as Rainier tripped over nothing, Sebastian’s hand stilling her before she fell. Rainier was needy, clinging to Sebastian as they stumbled through the door, her lips pressed firmly against his, her hands desperately pushing the fabric of his jacket off. As the door clicked shut Sebastian tried to kick his shoes off, laughing into Rainier’s mouth as she tugged at the fabric between them. Pulling back, Rainier looked at Sebastian, his lips red and eyes low.

“You alright?” He asked, finishing the job she had started by pulling his jacket off. Rainier felt her breath slow down and nodded, electricity still thrumming under her skin. 

“Yes,” she breathed, grabbing the hem of her sweater and pulling it over her head. Now only in her bra, she crashed back into Sebastian, the fabric of his shirt rubbing against her bare torso.

Sebastian’s touch was eager. His hands were always a little bit cold and his fingertips had a tendency to press just a little too hard into the softest parts of Rainier. There were no rounded corners on Sebastian, he was delicate, his strength only obvious when he was exposed. Rainier’s hands were always warm against his skin, as if the sun that had beamed on her all day was captured in her palms. Rainier loved to touch, her warmth traveling to parts of Sebastian that were usually ticklish but now made his back arch. Almost all of Rainier was soft, her edges were gentle even after days working on the farm. 

Needing more, Sebastian hooked his thumbs in the band of her pants, sliding the fabric over the round of her ass. Rainier kicked the fabric the rest of the way, her core burning with anticipation now that she was completely open. Before she could begin to undress Sebastian slid his hand between them, turning to cup the heat between her legs. 

A few breathy pants left Rainier, her mouth leaving his as he began to rub two fingers up and down her slit. Sebastian watched Rainier’s face contort with pleasure, her mouth slightly open and her eyelashes almost resting on the apples of her pink cheeks. 

“Look at me,” he instructed, wanting to see her eyes, and surprising both of them with the stern tone. 

Rainier happily obliged, forcing her eyes open to meet his gaze. Now face to face, Sebastian began rubbing slow circles over her clit, getting even slower every time her eyes threatened to close again. Softly, Rainier moaned at the touch, intrigued by how much she liked him controlling her like this, demanding something that felt impossible the faster his fingers worked against her. 

“Does that feel good?” He asked, eyes still locked on hers, lewd sounds traveling up from between their bodies as Rainier became more wet. All Rainier could muster was a nod, her eyes squeezing shut as her orgasm approached, hips thrusting hard against his hand.

Sebastian was nothing if not consistent in this moment, fingers stilling over her clit, making Rainier’s eyes snap right back open. Now not as lucky, Sebastian didn’t continue to rub where she wanted it the most, instead traveled lower, easily sinking two fingers into her wetness, the heel of his palm now pressed against her clit. Overwhelmed, Rainier tried to pull Sebastian closer, her hands gripping his shoulders in an attempt to pull him close enough that she could bury her face in his neck. Sebastian stood firmly, smirking as he kept Rainier at a distance, happy to watch as she squirmed in front of him, her moans louder now as he thrusted his fingers inside of her. Each thrust was slow but firm, and Rainier found herself grinding down, desperate for release. 

Feeling his own arousal mounting, Sebastian gave in to Rainier, leaning to kiss her. Rainier moaned as his mouth welcomed her, the sound coming out almost as a sob, relieved by the touch.

“Please,” she begged against his lips, shaking just slightly as her body teetered on her orgasm, “Please make me cum.”

Sebastian felt his cock jump with her pleads, and just as Rainier began to shudder, her legs threatening not to hold her, he pulled his hand back. Rainier swore she must’ve blacked out, her entire body burning with the edge of an orgasm. Before she could protest, Sebastian pulled back, their mouths separating with a wet click. Frozen, Rainier caught her breath while Sebastian started peeling off his own clothing, his erection slapping against his stomach as he removed his pants. 

“Such a tease.” Rainier said as she shifted where she stood, fighting a moan as her clit ached from the pressure of her legs coming together. 

Sebastian gave her a cheeky look, “Wouldn’t have pegged you as the type to beg.” 

Flushing, she turned to the bedroom, throwing a tsk sound over her shoulder. Sebastian followed closely behind, striking the thick of her ass with one of his palms and chuckling when she gasped. Now backed up against the bed, Rainier sat down on the edge, opening her legs enough that Sebastian could come stand between them, his cock bobbing against her stomach. 

Sebastian looked down from where he stood as Rainier wrapped a hand around his length, surprised to see that she was looking right at him. “Oh,” she mused, voice light but laced with arousal as she teased him, “I see why you like this.”

Before Sebastian could give a witty response she moved her hand to brush the head of his cock, making him release all the air in his lungs in a shaky sigh, his eyes fluttering shut as she started to stroke him faster. 

“I want you to look at me.” Rainier breathed, her pace steady. Sebastian felt a low, breathy chuckle rumbling in his chest, “Hey, that’s my move,”

Rainier stopped her movement completely, using her hands to support herself as she leaned back a little, smiling as wide as ever. Sebastian quickly opened his eyes, getting a taste of his own medicine, “Hey—”

Before he could continue his protest Rainier’s hand was back on him, squeezing the base before pumping his length. Sebastian held her gaze, her breasts bouncing slightly as she picked up the pace, her mouth still turned into a devilish smile as she looked into him. Keeping eye contact was intense, and Sebastian almost felt too vulnerable under her gaze to enjoy it, something about the way she looked at him made him feel like she could see right through him. The fact that it teetered on that line only made it better, Sebastian decided, suddenly aware that he might cum right here, and he couldn’t stop himself if he wanted to.

Unable to take it, Sebastian let his head fall back, neck stretching out as he moaned, “Fuck, Rainier, please, please,”

Rainier thought she might cum untouched if he kept begging, but decided to continue to play his game, and stilled her hand now that he had looked away. When Sebastian looked back to her his eyes had changed, pupils blown, looking almost feral and clearly unhappy that she stopped. A yelp escaped Rainier as he tackled her onto the bed, his hands grabbing her hips and pulling her further up the mattress, his knees on either side of her body pinning her in place.

They wrestled like that for a moment, a new sense of urgency between them, all hands and sloppy kisses, hair getting messily pushed out of the way as they melted into each other, the boundary between where he started and she ended blurred. 

“Yoba,” Sebastian managed to groan as Rainier ran her tongue along his, “You are incredible.” 

The intimate compliment almost made her freeze, but the thought quickly ran off as he started moving down her neck. A trail of wet kisses led him to her chest, his tongue reaching out to circle one of her nipples before enveloping it completely with his mouth, sucking gently at the mound. Rainier’s back arched up off the sheets as he worked the sensitive skin and brought his free hand to rub the other nub.

As Rainier opened her mouth to beg him to get inside her, just touch her, do anything to sooth the pressure between her legs, he sat up, stretching his arm to grab the condom he had tossed on the end table. Rainier watched eagerly as Sebastian tore the foil packet and rolled the cover down his member. The two laughed as they tried to untangle their legs so he was between hers, her foot almost hitting him in the head as they adjusted. 

The giggles ceased as Sebastian rubbed the head of his cock against her entrance, and turned to sharp breaths as he sunk inside. 

Rainier was warm, every part of her it seemed, and Sebastian wanted it to consume him. Once firmly inside of Rainier he draped his body back over her, relying on his lower abdomen and hips to fuck into her. They didn’t waste any time with teasing or hesitation, instead opted for steady thrusts, the force wracking both of their bodies with pleasure. As Sebastian began moving faster, Rainier’s warm hands found his back again, palms spreading over the surface, rubbing the expanse of skin, nails scraping along his shoulders on particularly deep thrusts. Her moans grew louder, loud enough that she felt grateful to be in the middle of nowhere.

“Sebastian,” she cried, head falling back to the mattress, her neck straining as her body begged for release. Sebastian felt the coil in the bottom of his stomach start to tighten, enjoying the pleasant burn that came over his thighs and lower back as he continued to pound into Rainier at this angle. Planting all the way to the hilt before pulling back out, he relished in the moans that matched his pace. 

Rainier couldn’t get enough, each thrust sending her closer to the edge, her fingers now digging almost painfully into his back. Just as she thought she couldn’t take it anymore she opened her eyes, searching for Sebastian’s, needing to see him. Using her hand she cupped his cheek, silently asking him to look at her. Sebastian sat up just slightly from where he had draped himself, his face buried in her shoulder as he fucked her. Meeting her eyes he felt vulnerable again, only more so this time, because Rainier’s eyes were softer, no longer teasing him, instead begging him to be here with her. Sebastian couldn’t look away, and couldn’t help but wonder if Rainier could see it in his eyes. 

For a moment it felt like everything around them slowed, Sebastian’s thrusts growing more sporadic as Rainier began to tighten around him, her orgasm painfully close but not quite spilling over. 

“Rainier,” he breathed, a warning, and Rainier nodded, her breath coming out in short puffs now. 

“Oh, Sebastian,” she gasped, “I’m—”

A trail of nonsensical moans followed as it began to crash over her, and even though she felt like she should look away, she couldn’t, and her eyes stayed locked on Sebastian as she came, her orgasm washing over her in waves. 

Sebastian surprised himself as his thrusts began to slow, his cock lurching and spilling into the condom as Rainier came around his length. Watching her eyes flicker as she came, flushed, looking at him so intently, his name on her lips, was more than he could handle. He felt his entire body shuddering with the force of his orgasm, a weak, scratchy, “Rainier,” falling from his lips, his eyes still captured by hers.

Soon Sebastian’s thrusts stopped completely, the sound of their labored breathing filling the air as Sebastian let his forehead come to rest against Rainier. She felt secure beneath the weight of his body and kept her hands on his back, hoping to keep him there even if only for a few more moments. The thought of him getting up and leaving right now made her chest hurt, and she knew she would need to unpack that, but all she wanted was for him to stay. 

When Sebastian shifted to slide his flaccid cock out of her she moaned, the sound turning to a whimper as he rolled off of her completely and onto his back next to her. Their arms were touching, and his hand began to search for hers, their fingers intertwining once he found her. 

Rainier’s eyes were on the ceiling, her chest still rising as she caught her breath. Sebastian did the same, able to feel his heartbeat throughout his body. 

“Do you think we could just stay like this for a moment?” Rainier asked, swallowing thickly as her throat started to feel tight. 

Sebastian let his head turn to look at her, her hair messy and eyes glossy. Rainier could feel him looking and mimicked his position, a small smile forming as she took in his hair and the pink marks that were left all over his pale body by her touch. Feeling the warmth in his palm, Sebastian squeezed her hand a little tighter and nodded, wanting her to know that he got it, whatever it was, he got it. 

—

The spray from the shower was almost too hot against the skin on Rainier’s shoulders. That’s how she liked it, though, and as she tilted her head back to wet her hair, a quiet hum left her throat. Sebastian watched her body arch into the water, her torso stretched and breasts raised. The air around them quickly filled with steam once the shower was on, blurring everything a little around the edges. From here, Rainier looked even softer, parts of her skin turning pink from the heat, and her hair flat against her head. 

“Your turn?” Rainier asked, snapping Sebastian out of his thoughts, her hands gripping onto his arm as she carefully shimmied around him in the tub, inviting him to step under the water. For a moment he let himself be moved, stepping aside just enough for her to stand where he was. 

Closing his eyes, he stepped directly beneath the shower head, letting the warm, almost too warm, water soak him. The shallow scratches Rainier left on the skin of his back burned in a pleasant way and the tired muscles of his back and thighs delighted in the warmth. His hand came up to push the wet hair that flopped over his eyes out of the way and opened his eyes again to find Rainier running a washcloth over her body. 

The soap she was using smelled familiar, he noted, realizing it must linger on her skin throughout the day. It wasn’t strong, it mostly just smelled clean with a slightly sweet touch. Almost honey like. Rainier didn’t notice his staring, instead focused on running the soapy cloth over the expanse of her body, dipping between her legs and wincing softly at the tenderness there. Sebastian felt his stomach burning in an all too familiar way and diverted his eyes, not wanting to sprout an erection now. 

Finished, Rainier made a small sound to grab his attention, offering him a cloth of his own and a bottle of soap. Sebastian gave a small smile as he took it, gurgling, “Thank you,” from beneath the spray of water. Rainier stepped closer to Sebastian in an effort to feel some of the warmth from the shower, her soapy breasts pressing into his chest as she craned her neck to get her head wet again.

Setting the washcloth down, Sebastian couldn’t help but bring his hands around her waist, encouraging her to come even closer, the touch smoother than usual now that she was wet. Rainier mewled at the sensation, letting her cheek come to rest on his chest as he rubbed her skin, the spray washing over both of them now, slowly rinsing the soap from her skin. Both of Sebastian’s hands continued to travel over her back, fingers fanning as he brushed over her shoulder blades before sliding back down over her sides, coming down to the thick of her waist and settling there. 

Rainier wrapped her arms around Sebastian’s waist as he massaged her skin, a lofty sigh escaping her as he dipped lower to cup the cheeks of her ass, not quite squeezing the flesh there, but spreading them just slightly as he retreated back to safer territory on her hips. Sebastian’s skin was not as slippery with soap where Rainier’s hands were, but she used her finger tips to walk along the skin there, taking in the dips and rises. Standing there in each other’s embrace, the air heavy and warm and the water streaming down over their bodies, Rainier thought she might just nod off to sleep. 

Sebastian found himself swaying just slightly as they stood together, his cheek coming to rest on the crown of Rainier’s head. Somehow he felt closer to her in this moment then he did when he was inside her just minutes ago. He told himself that it was just the heat, but the thought made him a little lightheaded. It was intimate. In the fog of her coziness, Rainier could tell Sebastian’s mind was running and asked, “What’re you thinking about?” 

Sebastian hummed at first, not quite sure what he was thinking. Rainier waited, letting her hands continue to explore his lower back. 

“What happened with Harvey?” Sebastian finally asked, surprising himself, and Rainier didn’t move from his embrace, surprising both of them. Rainier thought it would’ve been harder to speak about, but she found herself calm where she stood, her voice just loud enough for Sebastian to hear over the sound of the shower. 

“Nothing really happened,” she admitted, sighing before continuing, “We hit it off, and I ended up feeling connected to him, if that makes sense?” 

Sebastian nodded against her head to let her know that he was listening, and she continued, “He didn’t feel the same though. I felt like an idiot, I think I just liked the idea?”

“He didn’t though.” She repeated, pausing before finishing, “I don’t blame him for that.” 

Silence fell over them again and Rainier worried that she had done something wrong, but before she could pull back from his embrace he spoke, jaw moving against her hair, “That was,” he paused as he looked for the word, “Really honest.” 

Rainier laughed a little, her skin sliding against his a little with the movement, “Yeah?”

Sebastian began to move his hands over her skin again, “And for the record, he’s an idiot.” 

A smile pulled at Rainier’s cheeks as she chuckled, “Well, he is a doctor—”

“Still an idiot.” Sebastian interrupted her, making them both laugh harder. Standing up straight, Rainier moved out of his embrace, letting his hands drop from her waist she did. There was a full feeling in her chest now, and without realizing it, she felt herself let go of the ache from earlier. 

—

The morning light from the window in the kitchen exposed little dust particles dancing through the air. Sebastian stood with his hip against the counter, watching them float out of the light and disappear into the rest of the air as he waited for the coffee to finish brewing. The sound of the pot quietly filling, one drop at a time was interrupted by the sound of footsteps. Looking up from where he had been staring, Sebastian saw Maru groggily walking through the threshold to the kitchen, her work clothing on and eyes still tired.

“Where have you been?” Maru asked as she tossed her bag on one of the chairs at the table, the question trailing off with a yawn. 

Sebastian grabbed another mug from the cabinet as he shrugged, “Around.”

The handle of the coffee pot was warm in his hand, and he quickly poured the steaming liquid. Using his freehand as he finished pouring his own, he extended Maru hers, who took it with a relieved, “Thank you.”

Sliding the pot back onto the machine, Sebastian grabbed his own mug and shimmied past Maru who was digging in the fruit bowl. Satisfied with the orange she found, Maru joined him at the table, sitting in the chair across from him. Sebastian settled where he sat, leaning back in his chair with a sigh, “How’s work?”

Maru let out a groan, her head falling back dramatically as she aggressively peeled the orange in her hands. Sebastian gave her a curious look, taking a cautious sip of his hot coffee while waiting for her to elaborate. In the other room he could faintly hear his mother talking on the phone, feeling more aware of the familiarity of home than usual. 

“Harvey has been in a mood all week.” Maru ranted, standing up to throw her orange peels in the compost bin and run her hands under the sink to wash the tackiness from her hands. Sebastian raised his eyebrows with intrigue, Maru didn’t usually have any complaints about work or Harvey. If anything the way she loved her job was annoying. 

After haphazardly drying her hands off with the towel that hung by the sink she sat back down, continuing, “He’s just been moping around.”

Realizing that this was probably related to the Rainier of it all, Sebastian suddenly had many curious questions, but instead opted for, “That’s weird. What’s his deal?” 

Maru knew that Sebastian and Rainier were hanging out lately, and that made her consider not bringing it up at all. The last thing she wanted to do was make it weird for him and add to the complexity of this. Remembering that Sebastian insisted it was just casual the first time they spoke about it, Maru admitted, “Well, I don’t know for sure, but I have a theory.”

Now at a more drinkable temperature, Sebastian took a deep drawl of his coffee, making a noise over the ceramic rim of the mug to let her know that he was still listening. Maru popped a wedge of orange into her mouth, chewing before explaining more, “I have no evidence to back this up, but I think maybe it has something to do with Rainier?”

Sebastian’s face didn’t change at the mention of her name, so Maru figured it was safe to continue, “You saw they were together at the bar on Saturday, right?”

“Yeah.” Sebastian confirmed, fighting a small chuckle when realizing that Maru mustn’t have realized that he had gone home with Rainier that night, or that he didn’t get home until the ungodly hour of 6:30 in the morning the next day when Rainier tried to quietly sneak out of the bedroom to start her farm chores. 

“I wanted to let you sleep!” Rainier winced, trying to keep her voice quiet as Sebastian sat up in the bed. Sebastian rubbed his eyes, yawning as he asked, “What time is it?”

Rainier climbed back onto the bed, trying to avoid Sebastian’s limbs beneath the duvet. “I don’t think you want to know.” She laughed, leaning forward to press her lips against his, “I have to get started for the day. You’re welcome to keep sleeping.”

Sebastian watched sleepily as she hopped back off the bed, realizing that she was already dressed, her hair pulled back and overalls only clipped on one side, hand reaching for the wide brim hat that was hung by the door. His laughter made her turn back around before leaving the room, tilting her head in his direction while she placed the hat onto her head, “Why’re you laughing?”

“You just look like such a farmer right now.” He practically wheezed. Rainier rolled her eyes at him, unable to stop her own chuckles, his laughter contagious. 

Snapping out of it, Sebastian turned his attention back to Maru who was finishing another piece of orange, mumbling around her words as she started, “Well,” she swallowed, “It dawned on me that Harvey probably has a thing for Rainier.”

Though this wasn’t new news to Sebastian, he feigned surprised. Rainier wasn’t his, of course. Sebastian had considered that she could be with someone else. Of course he knew that eventually they would both— in whatever way, have their own lives outside of each other. He realized in that moment that he hadn’t realized how soon that could be.

“Harvey gets so nervous when she’s around. That is one thing, and you can’t draw any real conclusions from that,” Maru elaborated, worried about the scientific validity of her theories as usual, “But yesterday I reminded Harvey that we never completed a primary care intake for Rainier, since she’s only been in for urgent care, so I offered to call her and schedule.” 

Sebastian wished that Maru would just finish eating her breakfast, he was on the edge of his seat waiting for her to finish her thoughts, “And he totally freaked. Like just grumbled something about how,” she brought her fingers up to use air quotes, “That won’t be necessary. Then he went up to his apartment and didn’t come back down until his next appointment.” 

“So I don’t know what the deal is.” Maru finished with a deep breath and then a sigh.

“You know of course I care about Dr. Harvey and his happiness,” she hesitated, not wanting to sound too shallow, “But this is also just really harshing my vibe.”

Neither of them could suppress their laughter after that, Sebastian shaking his head at her. They both sat quietly for a moment while Maru finished the last of her orange and Sebastian tipped back the rest of his coffee. Standing, he turned the water on and grabbed the sponge, “That sucks.”

Maru hummed in response, coming up behind him to drop her mug in the sink too. Sebastian rolled his eyes at her, and she laughed, “You were already washing yours!”

Leaning against the adjacent counter, Maru turned back to their conversation, “Right though? I know you two are like,” she made a general hand motion in his direction, “Hope that isn’t weird.”

Sebastian quickly shook his head, blowing air from his mouth to make a pfft sound, “No, yeah, we’re not like that.” 

Maru nodded, clicking her tongue as she said, “I figured you would say that.”

The water from the sink was hot enough that it burned his hands a little, red splotches blossoming as he rinsed the soap from the dishes. 

“So what do you think that means?” Sebastian asked, hoping that she would say something other than what he assumed. Maru was inspecting her nails where she stood, grabbing one of the rough edges and trying to pull it off, sighing as she thought, “I mean obviously he has feelings for her, I’m not sure what will happen. I don’t know if Harvey would ever swallow his pride and like, go after her you know?” 

Sebastian swallowed thickly as he nodded, “Yeah, that makes sense.” 

“I mean I also don’t know what Rainier feels, you know? Like does she want anything to do with him?” Maru rambled, “There are a lot of unknown variables here. Makes it hard to make an accurate prediction.”

Finished, Sebastian turned the sink off and grabbed the towel to dry his hands. Maru moved to grab her things, putting her coat on one arm at a time as she inquired, “Have you talked to Rainier at all, did she mention anything?”

Sebastian mumbled a noncommittal no, not wanting to go further than that and open up more questions. That satisfied Maru, who just hummed in response. Bag now slung over her shoulder, Maru made a show of dragging her feet as she walked toward the door, Sebastian couldn’t help but laugh at her, “Have a good day.” 

“Fuck off.” She groaned.

—

“Good news,” Maru came into the exam room where Harvey was tapping away on his laptop, shooting off prescriptions for the previous patient to the pharmacy. The bags under his eyes were darker than usual, Maru noticed, the faint shadow of a beard appearing along his cheeks, facial hair threatening to grow in beyond his usual mustache. 

“Hm?” Harvey replied, not quite listening. Maru grabbed the charts from the folder on the wall, continuing, “Last patient of the day canceled.” 

This made Harvey look up, his hand immediately pushing his glasses further up the bridge of his nose as he did so, “Really?” 

Maru nodded, opening one of the cabinets to see if any supplies needed to be restocked. “We should be out of here early today.” 

Harvey normally would have felt excited to hear that, an extra hour or two really made a difference during this season. Today, though, all he could think about was that he had nothing to do with that extra time. It was his own melancholy, but it felt like there was nothing new to do. Finish a model airplane. Read a book. Flip through the phone that he never truly learned how to use the way that other people do. Part of it made him miss the city, something he didn’t often miss. Every once and a while though, he found himself thinking back to a time where he didn’t have any time. There wasn’t any time and that was a perfect excuse. 

None of that had to do with Rainier. Of course it didn’t, because much like the Rainier situation, all of that was his own fault. 

It all felt terribly dramatic, and Harvey knew it was ridiculous to be in such a bad mood, so he did his best to do what he does best, and suppress it until it went away. Maru was great as usual, doing him a favor and not saying anything when she would arrive for the day and find him sitting in the dark, not having bothered to flip the lights on when he came down that morning. She ignored the beard that he was letting grow in and didn’t ask why he seemed to be trying to sustain himself on a diet of strictly coffee. 

Maru puttered around him as she started her closing tasks, speaking a little louder so he could hear her from the other room, “You know, Leah and I were going to grab dinner at the saloon tonight—”

Before she could finish Harvey started to laugh and she hurried back to see what he was doing. 

“Why are you laughing?” Maru found herself reciprocating the laugh, just happy to see some color in his cheeks as he took his glasses off and brought his hands up over his face, almost wheezing. 

“You do not,” he tried to catch his breath through his laughter, “Have to invite me on a pity date with your partner.”

Maru crossed her arms over her chest, giving him a pointed look, “It is not a pity date!” 

Harvey, in a looser tone than he usually used with Maru, only shook his head as he put his glasses back on, “Totally a pity date.”

Harvey stood up and closed his laptop, coming to stand in front of Maru, putting one hand on each of her shoulders, staying an arms length apart. “Go have fun. I’ll finish up here.”

Maru squinted at him through her glasses, feeling skeptical. Harvey squeezed her shoulders once before letting go, walking around her to go see what else needed to be done. She stood dumbfounded for a moment, her arms falling to her sides as she listened to him rustle around the clinic. Following the sound, she found him filing some charts, and found herself admitting, “I’m worried about you, Dr. Harvey.” 

Harvey felt his stomach drop, his hands stilling over the files. He turned himself so he could see her, his stomach dropping further when he saw the concerned look on her face. “Maru—”

“I don’t know what happened,” Maru started, but decided to just rip it off like a bandaid, “Well, I kind of do.”

Harvey raised his eyebrows at this, but didn’t dare interrupt her again, “I know it’s not my business. Just, I don’t know. Just give yourself a break.”

There was a lot that Harvey felt confused by in that moment, but he didn’t want to ask any leading questions in fear of giving her the wrong idea. Maru shifted where she stood, unable to stop herself from tidying the haphazard way Harvey left the files on top of the cabinet before he was ready to file them. 

“Thank you, Maru.” Harvey said, meaning it. 

Maru finished shuffling the clutter and gave him another sad look. Harvey cleared his throat, an attempt to shake it off, “Now, you get out of here, really. I’ve got this. I’ll see you next week.”

“You sure?” Maru asked, feeling guilty. Harvey only gave an assuring smile as he nodded. Maru hesitantly gathered her things, not wanting to leave quite yet, wanting to ask what exactly happened. Ultimately deciding it wasn’t a good idea to push it, she headed for the door, “Be good to yourself, Dr. Harvey.” 

Maru almost always said that when she left for the day, but today it sounded a little different, a reminder that Harvey wasn’t nearly as alone as he told himself he was. As the door swung shut Harvey huffed a sigh, letting all the air in his lungs leave before breathing in again, moving to sit down at the chair behind the desk. Yet again he pulled his glasses off, this time tossing them to the side. 

—

Bringing her fist up to the door, Rainier hesitated before knocking quietly. Through the wood she could hear Sebastian stand up, his footsteps getting louder as he approached and turned the lock of the door. The door swung open and he came into view, his headphones slung around his neck, a shadow in the shallow hollow beneath his eyes. 

It took him a second to realize it wasn’t someone he would’ve expected, his eyebrows going up and lips lifting once the door was open all the way, “Oh, Rainier— Hi, what’re you doing here?” 

Rainier felt a little weird showing up unannounced like this, but she hadn’t seen him in almost a week and to her own surprise, found herself missing him. Before she could think of something less pathetic to answer, he looked to her hands, head turning to the side like a puppy. 

“What’s this?” Sebastian asked while taking his headphones off completely and tossing them onto the couch. Rainier eagerly held a round container in both hands, handing it to him with a smile, “This is for you.”

Taking a step aside so she could come in, Sebastian looked at the bowl curiously as he shut the door behind them. Rainier looked around Sebastian’s room, realizing she hadn’t spent any time in here before. The space suited him, devoid of bright colors and simple. It smelled like him down here, a mix of body wash and something specifically him. Deciding to take a seat on the edge of his bed, Rainier ran her palms over the black bedding, surprised to see that he makes his bed every day. Sebastian set the container on his desk, carefully prying the lid off, tendrils of steam escaping and a familiar scent hitting his nose. 

“It’s been so cold, so I made some soup,” Rainier explained and Sebastian looked up to her with wide eyes, beaming, “Is this pumpkin soup?”

Nodding, Rainier reached into her pocket, “And I brought you a spoon, but on the way here I realized that is kind of weird, so no hard feelings if you don’t want to use my pocket spoon.” 

A nervous laugh escaped her chest as Sebastian placed the lid back onto the container, her gaze falling to her lap, hands fiddling with the cold silver. Sebastian noticed her nervousness and smiled, crossing the room to where she sat on his bed, bending at the waist so his cold hands could capture her cheeks and bring his lips down on hers. 

“I really love this. How did you know?” Sebastian asked against her mouth, the warmth of his breath fanning over her face. Rainier just shrugged, trying to capture his lips in a kiss again. Indulging her, Sebastian melted into her for a moment, pulling back again to sigh.

“Thank you,” Sebastian let her face go and grabbed the spoon from her now relaxed hand, “And I definitely do not mind using your pocket spoon.” 

As Sebastian settled behind his computer, moaning as he took his first spoonful, Rainier stood up, sliding her hands back into the pockets of her jacket and walking towards the door. Confused, Sebastian looked up from where he was hunched over his bowl, mumbling, “Where are you going?” 

“I just figured you didn’t want me to stare at you while you eat.” Rainier laughed, not sure how this was supposed to work. Sebastian only shook his head, swallowing another mouthful before insisting, “No, stay. I just need to finish up something for work and then I’m all yours.” 

His eyes were already back on his monitor, using one hand to type against his keyboard while the other held onto his spoon. Rainier nodded even though he wasn’t looking, taking her time to meander back to his bed and sit again. This was so different than their usual interactions, ones blurred by alcohol and spent trying to get their bodies as close as possible. This, bringing him soup, and laying in his bed while he finished up work, felt unfamiliar. 

Putting her head on his pillows, Rainier tried to hide the fact that she took a deep breath, his scent enveloping her. It was cold in his room and it made sense considering how cold Sebastian’s skin always was. Quietly, Rainier tucked herself beneath his duvet, happily curling up under the weight of the fabric. Sebastian noticed the rustling out of the corner of his eye and looked up, an unusual flutter filling his stomach as he watched Rainier nuzzle into his covers, her eyes falling shut and a small grin on her lips. 

“You comfortable over there?” He asked, his cheeks flushing as he realized that sounded more fond than teasing. 

Rainier poked her head up just enough to see him over the top of the bed frame, and a sneaky look on her face as she answered, “Mhm.” 

Disappearing again, she settled into the covers, everything warm and soft, smelling like Sebastian and pumpkin soup. The clinking of metal against ceramic eventually stopped as Sebastian finished up, but the clicking of his keyboard keys continued, and as usual, Rainier felt herself getting sleepier. Through heavy eyes she looked around his room. There was a table with the Solarian Chronicles: The Game laid out, dice strewn across the board. His bookshelves were full of science fiction novels and some manga, Rainier made a note to ask him about his favorite books later. To her delight, there was a poorly hidden bong on the shelf, and if she wasn’t feeling so impossibly sleepy, she would’ve laughed. 

Sebastian wasn’t sure how much time had passed when he snapped out of his work. There had been more to do than he realized, and when remembering that Rainier was still here, he felt a little bad about it taking so long. After shutting his computer down he walked over to his bed, happy to find Rainier curled up, her eyes shut and lips parted slightly as she breathed softly. Unsure how to proceed, Sebastian just stood there for a moment, watching her rest. Deciding that she had the right idea, and taking a nap sounded like something he could get behind now that his work was done and his stomach was full of warm soup, he climbed in. 

Carefully, Sebastian planted one knee on the mattress in front of Rainier, hand bracing the headboard as he swung his other leg over her. Now hovering over her, he slowly brought his other leg over to join him, worried he would bump her too much and wake her up. Safely behind her, Sebastian lifted up the edge of the duvet and climbed beneath it, fighting a pleased moan when he realized how warm it was beneath the cover. Rainier stirred a little and Sebastian froze, no longer tugging on the blanket or trying to stretch his legs out completely. Still asleep, Rainier stopped moving, her even breaths resuming. Relieved, Sebastian finished getting comfortable, scooting closer to Rainier so he could put his head on the pillow next to her. Without realizing it he came to lay on his side, his body naturally forming around her shape. His torso pressed into her back, knees into the cove of her bent legs, face buried in her hair, arm wrapped around her waist, palm opening over her stomach. The fabric of her shirt had bunched up, and Sebastian happily inched his cold fingers beneath it, spreading out over the soft skin there. 

It was comfortable. Comfortable didn’t seem like an adequate way to describe it, really, but it was warm and Rainier was soft. Sebastian tried not to let his mind wander, wanting sleep to take him, but he couldn’t help it. He hadn’t been avoiding Rainier this week, things had just been busy, but when she showed up at his door he realized he felt relieved to see her. Relieved. 

Sebastian spent a lot of his time wondering, never feeling bold enough to actually go after anything. The fear of failing was absolutely crippling. He wondered what it would be like in the city, he wondered what it would be like having a place of his own, years and years of wondering. Rainier didn’t seem to wonder, she was shy but honest, uncertain but moving forward. Sebastian wished he wasn’t so hesitant. 

Rainier shifted a bit, body nuzzling further into the warmth of their embrace, pulling Sebastian out of his thoughts. Knowing that there was nothing to do about any of that right now, he closed his eyes, knowing that what he could do was enjoy how good she felt in this moment. 

—

When Rainier stirred from her sleep she wasn’t sure what time it was. As she regained consciousness she became more aware of her body, the delightful warmth that surrounded it, and the pressure behind her. The sound of Sebastian breathing came next, his face pressed into the space between her neck and shoulder, his arm wrapped tightly around her middle, his hand against the bare skin of her stomach. It took a moment to pull herself from the haze of her nap, and she wondered when Sebastian had joined her in the bed. 

Sebastian had always been a light sleeper. Robin always said that all in all he was an easy baby; he didn’t fuss a lot and rarely cried, but he was the worst sleeper. If he fell asleep in her arms he would wake up if she even shifted where she was sitting, and as he grew up he would wake as soon as the birds started to make any noise outside his window early in the morning. When they designed the house they live in now, they put Sebastian’s room in the basement for a reason, hoping he would sleep more. Now, just as Rainier’s breathing changed and she squirmed a little in his hold, he found himself waking up, a quiet sound leaving him as he did so. 

The arm around Rainier tightened as Sebastian stretched his limbs out, eliciting a happy hum from Rainer, who backed herself up further into his embrace. The arm that Sebastian had been laying on ended up above his head somehow, his bicep having been used as a makeshift pillow so he could get even closer to Rainier. Bringing it back down, he nudged at Rainier’s head a little, and she lifted it without question, letting him snake around her. A sharp but quiet gasp came from Rainier as they settled like this, the skin of his bicep cold compared to the warmth they had beneath the blanket. Without thinking about it she pressed a soft kiss into the skin of his forearm, noticing the way one of the tendons in his hand just barely flinched from the contact. 

Sebastian yawned into her hair, neither of them needing to speak yet. He thought he might just fall back asleep like this, feeling more than content keeping Rainier exactly where she was. The only thing keeping him from doing so was exactly that, having Rainier as close as he did, her entire body pressed into his, making him painfully aware of how good she felt. Flexing the fingers of his hand to wake it up, Sebastian snuck his hand further beneath her shirt, rubbing from the front of her stomach to her hips, enjoying being able to feel the curve of her waist. Rainier felt her eyes closing again as he rubbed back and forth on her abdomen, her head relaxing even more against his arm. 

Rainier found herself trying to adjust so she could give him more of her, but realized that they couldn’t be any closer than they are now. Unable to help himself, Sebastian ran his hand lower, teasing at the seam of her pants, thumb dipping beneath the hem to touch the skin there. Rainier brought one of her hands out from beneath the covers, reaching up to run her fingers over the only part of Sebastian she could reach. Dancing the pads of her fingertips down his forearm, Rainier slid her hand into his, lacing their fingers together. 

There was something intense about relying strictly on touch, their bodies sheathed by the duvet, faces turned from each other, their voices silent. Rainier felt nervous in a delightful way, unsure what Sebastian would do next. The part of her that craved control wanted to turn in his embrace, capturing his lips with her own, sliding her palm over the erection he was trying to hide from her by tilting his hips away from the round of her bottom. She imagined herself taking him, her thighs pinning him to the bed as she rode his cock, holding his hands above his head every time he tried to grip onto her waist and fuck in to her. Thankful that he couldn’t see her, Rainier felt her cheeks warming at the thought. The rest of her was desperate for Sebastian to claim her, his hands firm and thrust hard, letting him navigate her body as he pleased, her body fulfilling his desires. 

Sebastian began the slow game of using one hand to inch the fabric of her pants down, traveling around the circumference of her waist to nudge each section. Rainier wanted to lift her hips, using her own hand to push her pants the rest of the way, she remained still though, leaning into the pace that Sebastian was setting. Sebastian hoped that he wasn’t the only one getting out of breath, his heart rate picking up just from the act of running his hands over her body, the intention of more enough to make his skin prickle with excitement. 

It was hard to keep her breaths even the further Sebastian pushed the fabric, most of her ass exposed now, the bare flesh brushing against the fabric of the duvet in between passes of Sebastian’s hand. Nuzzling into her neck, Sebastian pressed his lips against her warm skin, inhaling the smell of her with a deep breath. He ran his nose along the skin he could reach and Rainier considered brushing her hair out of the way for him, then decided against it, knowing the mess of it all was part of what made it feel so good. 

Sebastian was sure he was drowning in her. Everything was her, all her and all skin and all warm, and he welcomed it, letting it wash over him, willingly submerging himself. Pants now out of his reach, Sebastian firmly ran his hand along her hips once more, this time following a new path, sliding down the slope of her hip bone to land just above her pelvis. Her lower stomach lurched against his hand in anticipation, just a fingertips distance from her panties now. 

Both of them froze as they waited, trying but failing to conceal their heavy breathing. Rainier wanted to drape her hand over his, to know what was coming next, to feel his movement, but the excitement of not knowing was far better. Sebastian could feel her shaking just slightly against his body, her entire body buzzing with anticipation. Moving further, Sebastian cupped the front of her panties, rubbing firmly and evenly over the surface, fighting a deep groan as he realized he could feel her wetness through the fabric. Rainier wanted to cry out with relief but let her body speak for her, back arching against his chest, hand entwined with his squeezing harder. 

The air was heavy, the short, hot puffs of breaths escaping their mouths filling the space between them. Rainier felt almost dizzy with pleasure, two of Sebastian’s fingers pressing a little harder as he stroked her through the panties, giving her clitoris some much desired pressure. Satisfied with the way she squirmed, Sebastian slipped his fingers beneath the band of her panties, stifling another moan as he slid over her pussy, the folds warm and slick with her arousal. He knew that Rainier must be biting her tongue and that only made him want to push her further, giving her clitoris the firm circles she craved, hips stuttering beautifully against his hand already. 

His name was on the tip of her tongue and it took everything to not moan it out, voice cracking with pleasure and eyes rolling back in her head. Sebastian was sure that she was going to give in, and say something, anything, as he rubbed her faster, her clit swelling beneath his touch, signaling she was almost at her limit. The sharp breaths and the almost painful way she gripped his hand was more than enough at this point, however, and Sebastian found himself pushing his hips into her bare ass, needing some kind of relief or he just might explode. 

Feeling the clear line of his erection through his sweatpants rubbing against her behind usually would have made her smirk, but Rainier was seconds from cumming, seeing stars behind her eyelids as Sebastian kept his pace, her entire body, head to toe, wracked with pleasure. 

Letting go, Rainier let a louder sound escape her throat, her hips shaking, the act of fighting her moans seeming impossible as Sebastian rubbed her through her orgasm. He noted the sound, smiling into her shoulder as he continued to move his fingers and she choked out a string of soft moans. It was too much and just enough at the same time, entire body quaking now as she came down, her hand loosening its grip on Sebastian as she did. Sebastian slowed his fingers, not stopping completely, now sliding up and down her slit again, enjoying the way her clit would jump each time he circled back to it. 

The high of her orgasm made everything a little hazy, and through barely opened eyes she watched Sebastian slowly pull his hand back, the entire arm shifting beneath her after. Rainier let her head fall back against the pillow, not having a chance to move herself before his hands were on her waist, tilting her to bring her ass up a bit further, almost laying on her stomach but not quite, twisting at the waist, knees bent a little. 

Opening her eyes completely, Rainier watched Sebastian peel himself out of their embrace, duvet sliding off their bodies as he emerged. He clearly had a plan, eyes not meeting hers as he climbed over her, one foot on the ground the other still on the bed as he reached into his nightstand, pulling out a familiar foil square. Rainier watched in awe, his hair precious after sleeping, eyes still a little small with sleep as he urgently pushed his pants off, his hard cock appearing, the head pink with arousal and shiny with precum. 

Condom now rolled down his length, Sebastian looked up to Rainier from where he positioned himself behind the back of her thighs. They both had their lips parted as they breathed, no funny looks or smirks, nothing needing to be said. Sebastian’s eyes were darker when they were like this and Rainier’s cheeks were dusted with an almost peachy pink. The position was new to her, and Rainier let him take the lead, heart thumping in her chest again as she anticipated his touch. Rubbing one of her hands down her side, she felt shy beneath Sebastian’s gaze, but liked that he was watching. Propping herself up just enough to pull her top off, Rainier fell back against the pillows, breasts bouncing as she landed. 

Sebastian brought his hand to his cock, wrapping around his member and pumping slowly, eyes trained on her as her delicate hands explored her body. On her side like this she could use both of her hands, one cupping her breasts, pulling at the nipples, the other running down her rib cage and over the hills of her body. The way she was laying now accentuated her curves and Rainier took advantage of it, gripping one of her ass cheeks, offering herself to Sebastian, who happily pressed the head of his cock against her exposed entrance, rubbing his head into the slick there. Both watched the other, wanting to see their reaction, daring them to moan. Rainier’s bottom lip found it’s way between her teeth as she stifled her own, chest shaking. 

It was a little awkward having her waist twisted like this but the pleasure outweighed the discomfort as Sebastian sunk into the hilt, both of their breath getting shakier as he did. Rainier watched his eyes roll back as he started to slide out of her again, stopping at the head before sliding in again. Sebastian still had his shirt on, the light grey material bunched up and wrinkled from their nap. She wanted to insist that he pull it off, wanting to be able to see all of him like he could see her, but she stayed quiet, focusing on the consistent stroke of his cock inside of her. 

Rainier continued to play with her chest, her eyes pinching shut as Sebastian thrusted harder, the sound of their skin slapping against the other loud in the air. Sebastian couldn’t take his eyes off of her as her fingers gripped harder into the thick of her ass, the flesh there turning red from the pressure. Pulling harder, Rainier spread herself further, unable to fight the moan that followed when Sebastian brushed against the spot deep inside of her.

“Ah,” she cried, letting it all out now that she had broken her silence, “Harder, Sebastian.”

Sebastian could cry. He was so relieved, his hands grabbing onto her waist, this time pushing her the rest of the way to lay on her stomach. Rainier immediately caught on, eagerly shifting herself to get into place, her face pressing into the bed as she arched her back and brought herself up to her knees. Only taking a moment to adjust, Sebastian slid back inside her, deeper now at this angle. The deep guttural moan that left Sebastian was music to Rainier’s ears, and she pushed back against his cock on his off thrusts, begging for more. 

Turning her head to breath, Rainier pressed her cheek into the mattress as Sebastian fucked her harder, the places his fingers pressed into her waist hurting just a little, threatening to leave a bruise. Their shared moans grew louder as they pushed into each other and Rainier brought her hands up behind herself, wanting to touch any part of Sebastian that she could, hoping to grab the hands that were wrapped around her hips. Even better, Sebastian released her hips and grabbed her wandering hands, pinning her wrists together over the small of her back, pushing Rainier further into the mattress. 

“Oh,” Rainier moaned, unable to find her words as Sebastian took all of her, his thrusts steady, almost punctuating each of his own moans. Each time they laid together was different, but this, this was beyond what either of them could have anticipated. Rainier used her core to resist each thrust, allowing Sebastian to go deeper, the head of his cock brushing against the bundle of nerves inside her again, sending her into a fit of moans. 

Worried he might be hurting her, Sebastian tentatively loosened his grip on her wrists, wanting her to feel like she could move if she wanted to. Rainier muttered out an urgent, “No, no,” hands scrambling to stop his. Chuckling, Sebastian pinned her in place again, “I’ve got you.” 

Thrusting faster, Sebastian felt himself growing closer to his own release, even though he felt like he never wanted this to end. 

“Rainier,” Sebastian grunted, unable to take it all in, eyes wanting to watch her ass bounce with each thrust, to take in the gentle curve of her spine and her hands pinned behind her back, face pressed into the sheets as she gave him all of her, “You’re going to make me cum.” 

Rainier loved that he called her babe, her ability to rock back against his cock faltering the closer he brought her to the edge, a familiar vibration shaking her body as she tightened around his member. “Sebastian, please,” 

Sebastian could feel her orgasm around his cock, even more so at this angle, and he thought he might pass out from the sheer pleasure of it all. Needing more, he released Rainier’s wrists, leaning forward to press his torso into her back, one arm reaching around her chest, pulling her back into his chest as he fucked into the tightness of her cunt, her orgasm shaking her core as she strained in his embrace. 

“Fuck,” she cried, his thrusts tightening the coil in the pit of her stomach again, her orgasm just barely finishing before building again, crying his name!

Taking her with him, Sebastian straightened back up, his arms around Rainier’s chest and middle, his face pressed into her neck, lips on the shell of her ear as he thrusted up into her soaked entrance. Rainier gasped as she was lifted, relying on his hold to keep her steady as he ravaged her. 

“Oh, I’m going to cum again,” she breathed, unable to believe it herself, “I want you to cum,” Sebastian encouraged into her ear, his breath hot, “Cum for me, Rainier.”

Rainier nodded against him, sweat on her brow and eyes pinched shut as it came over her, her hands desperately clawing at his arms, trying to brace herself on something, anything, as she fell apart again. Feeling her tighten around him was more than he was able to endure, his thrusts getting more sporadic as she cried out. Holding her impossibly closer, Sebastian whimpered in her ear, his cock lurching and straining, his thrusts hard but slower now. 

“Rainier,” he cried quietly, voice cracking, that was all he was able to muster as he shuddered, one last thrust sending him over the edge, orgasm taking everything he had left. They stayed like that as they both came down, arms and hands tightly holding on to one another, Sebastian’s cock still planted deeply inside her. Rainier was grateful for his hold, worried that if he let her go, she would collapse into the mattress, her body completely spent. 

Sebastian felt his breath returning to him, the haze of his orgasm putting a vignette on everything as he slowly and carefully unraveled Rainier, one hand still bracing her middle to make sure she wouldn’t fall. Relaxing, Rainier lowered herself to the mattress, turning to lay on her back, looking up to Sebastian with fuzzy eyes. Sebastian looked over her body, red lines where he had been holding her, lips parted and pink, eyelids low. 

“Hi,” he breathed, almost chuckling. Rainier returned the laugh, bringing her hands up over her face, covering her eyes as she replied, “Hey.” 

Sebastian decided to join her where she laid, surprised he was still able to hold himself up on his knees at this point. Falling forward, he draped half of his body over hers, his chin resting on her shoulder, the other half on the bed. Rainier laughed as he did, happily bringing her arm around him so he could rub his back. The skin there was a little sweaty but she didn’t mind, tracing nonsense patterns into his muscles while he melted into her. Sebastian lifted his eyes to look up at her and Rainier blushed a little more.

“That was,” he mumbled into her shoulder, another chuckle rising in his chest. Rainier nodded, feeling similarly shy now that they were done, “Yes.” 

There was nothing else to say and for once that didn’t scare her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hoooooo I love you all!!! Thank you for your continued support, this is such a fun project. 
> 
> Let me know what you think or if you have something you’d like to see! :0) 
> 
> Should be updating again soon~


	5. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hoo this chapter is wild ride y'all. Thanks for sticking with me!
> 
> (CW: mentions of suicidal thoughts. Yes I roped Shane into this.)

The days started to get shorter as Winter settled over the valley, a thick layer of snow blanketing the ground as the sky stayed the same perpetual shade of gray. Rainier thought she was prepared for winter to be slow on the farm, but she didn’t imagine it would be this slow. The fields were dormant, only a few winter seeds gifted by the junimos growing in a patch close to the house, and the animals stayed in their warm barns, their grazing fields frozen over. There was only so much to do to prepare for the Spring while it was still this cold. The biggest project was getting enough ore gathered for a bigger sprinkler system, and even that wrapped up after a few full days in the mines.

Rainier was learning how to be bored. Life in the city continued as normal during the winter; on the farm things slowed with the season, the natural rhythm of the year taking hold. All of the books Rainier brought with her from the city had sat on the bookshelf since she moved in, all the free time she imagined having to read under the warm sun was laughable. The thought wasn’t too far off however, the free time was just being spent next to the fireplace. It was nice to read for pleasure, it was even more nice to have the time. The sun set early every night, making the evening feel impossibly long sometimes, but Rainier didn’t have to spend all of them alone. 

Sebastian loved the winter. The cold, dark walks to the farm didn’t bother him, and he found himself doing it often. Rainier never answered her phone, lately she would honestly just forget to charge it, the long days working on the farm had broken the habit. Today was one of those days, and Sebastian walked that way anyway, moving slowly, a cigarette held between his lips. Taking a breath, Sebastian pulled his hand back, the tendrils of smoke lingering around his face for a moment, almost frozen in time, before disappearing into the rest of the air. It was a habit he knew he should break, “One of many,” he thought to himself, an audible laugh escaping his lips, the smoke he held in his lungs coming out in big white puffs. Rainier’s farm was quieter during the winter, a little eerie really, Sebastian thought as he turned down the path that headed into the northern entrance. The light of the farmhouse came in to view first, the porch following. 

Finishing his cigarette, Sebastian bent over just enough to ash it out in the snow, stuffing the butt back into the pack of cigarettes as he stood, not wanting to leave his waste all around town. Rainier could hear movement outside from where she stood in the kitchen and immediately looked to the window, unsurprised to find Sebastian knocking the snow off his boots on the ledge of the porch. A laugh left her as Sebastian proceeded to knock on the door, because that seemed so formal at this point, and so formal for Pelican Town in general. Taking the few steps between the kitchen and front door, Rainier turned the handle, stepping to the side as she opened it, hoping to protect herself from the cold air. Sebastian smelled like cigarettes and cedar, a quick smile rising on his lips as he breathed, “Hey,”

Rainier smiled back, bouncing a little bit on her feet as she closed the door behind him, the cold air biting at her exposed skin. Today Sebastian had a bag slung over his shoulder, and Rainier was nothing if not curious, “What’s that?” She asked, eyes pointed at the satchel. Sebastian set the bag on the floor as he pulled his coat off, replying, “Just my laptop,” he picked the bag back up, lifting the flap to pull the computer out, “I was wondering if you could look at something for me?”

Interested, Rainier nodded, taking a seat on the couch as Sebastian opened his computer. Walking around the back of the couch Sebastian set it down in Rainier’s lap, reaching over her shoulder to click around a few times, opening up the document he wanted. 

“Your resume?” Rainier asked, surprised, craning her neck a little to look at him. Sebastian met her eyes for a moment, giving a little nod before taking his gaze back to the computer screen, “Yeah,” he swallowed, “I’ve been thinking, I don’t know.”

Rainier started to read as she waited for him to find the words. “I found a few jobs that I think I want to apply to,” he admitted, surprising himself by how nervous he felt now. When he thought about this earlier he hadn’t considered that this might be weird to bring up to Rainier, and now that he was here, he kind of wanted the earth to swallow him up where he stood. “They’re in, uh, it’s in Zuzu. I’ve just been thinking that I’m ready,” he swallowed again, Rainier’s eyes still trained on the screen, her fingers having pushed him out of the way on the trackpad so she could scroll further into the document, “I’m ready to try.”

This made Rainier stop, an unfamiliar yet very familiar feeling rising in her chest. Done reading, she turned a little further at the waist so she was completely facing him to say, “I’m so happy for you.” 

“Yeah?” Sebastian asked, not realizing that he would feel so relieved. “Yes!” Rainier exclaimed, her smile truly reaching her eyes, “This is so good, Seb.” She turned back to the computer, looking at his resume and asking, “Are you excited?”

Sebastian answered with a deep breath, sighing out, “Nervous.”

Rainier hummed as she nodded, reaching her arm behind herself to pat the hand that was braced on the back of the couch. “It’s going to be great.” 

“You sound so sure.” Sebastian shakily laughed, and Rainier shrugged, gently shutting the laptop and setting it to the side. “I know you’re more than capable.” 

There was a moment of silence between them as Sebastian put his laptop back in his bag. Rainier found her eyes drifting to the fireplace, watching the flames consume the logs, the pleasant crackling a comfort. A spray of sparks filled the hearth as a log collapsed into the flames, the now smaller pieces of wood settling into the coals. _ “Zuzu,” _ she thought to herself, remembering what life was just one year ago. Noticing her ten yard stare, Sebastian sat down next to her, following her gaze to the fireplace. The flames licked at the newly exposed wood, sizzling as it burned. Quietly, he asked, “What are you thinking about?”

Rainier almost didn’t hear him, her thoughts having wandered so far from here. Thinking about all of the things in Zuzu she hated: how busy it was, the crowds, the lights constantly shining through her bedroom window, the music coming from the bar down the block at 1:00 AM, all the concrete. All things that Sebastian would love. They both knew that they had so little in common, their thing was never about being similar people. And that was okay, Rainier realized. 

Having left him waiting long enough, Rainier snapped back to reality, a small, wistful smile rising on her lips, “You are going to love Zuzu.” 

Sebastian nodded, eyes still on the fire, “I think so too.”

There was something unsaid but known between them at that moment, and it made Rainier’s chest hurt a little. Part of her wanted to move closer to him, maybe climb onto his lap and press her face into his neck, just envelope him for a moment. Part of her wanted to enjoy him for a bit longer, but all of her knew that it was time.

“I,” Rainier cleared her throat, rubbing her palms against the fabric covering her thighs as she moved to stand, “I have something for you.”

Sebastian sat up a bit as Rainier walked into her bedroom, his hand coming up, shaking his hair as another shaky breath left his chest. It felt like something that never began was ending, something that never could have been or would have made sense, but that was still them. It was just them and Sebastian didn’t know how to say he would never be the same or that she changed his life or that he thought that maybe if they were different people at a different time doing different things they would have been perfect. But that didn’t matter because it was all of that and none of it and he could be okay with that. Just be okay with what it was. It made him feel a little naive, and as young as he was when usually he felt older than he is. 

Rainier walked back into the room with a small box in her hand, beautiful wrapping paper neatly folded around the edges. “I know it’s not for two days, but this is for you,” she carefully handed the box to him, “Happy Birthday, Sebastian.”

Touched, Sebastian carefully slid a finger beneath the edge of the wrapping paper, breaking the seal and pulling the rest off swiftly. Rainier tried not to stare while he opened, but watched as he lifted the lid off the box, his eyes getting smaller as he smiled. 

“Rainier,” he picked up the frozen tear inside of it, carefully turning the cool mineral in his palm. “I really love this.” 

“There’s one more thing,” Rainier smiled, and Sebastian dug further into the box, moving the soft fabric that was cradling the frozen tear to find a small notebook. The cover read,  _ “Rainier’s Official Guide to Zuzu City,” _ and an audible chuckle left Sebastian, “What’s this?”

“Open it.” Rainier laughed in response, sitting down in the chair across from where he sat. Both of them noticed. 

Flipping through the first few pages, Sebastian felt his eyes burning with tears, something that horrified him. Sebastian did not like to cry, and he especially did not cry in front of people. The entire notebook was full, page after page of Rainier’s gentle script handwriting. Each page had different restaurants and parks listed, small maps were drawn to show locations, there was even a guide for the cleanest bathrooms she had found throughout the city. The last one made Sebastian laugh again, the sound wavering as his eyes continued to fill with tears. 

“Rainier, I love this. Thank you.” Sebastian stammered, struggling to find the words as he continued to flip and scan the pages, wanting to take it all in. Rainier just smiled, because there was nothing else left to say, and now she knew that didn’t scare her. 

—

“Rainier!” Maru shouted, jumping to try and get her attention, precariously trying to hold on to the box in her arms.

Rainier turned at the sound, surprised to see Maru in the square this early. “Hey, Maru,” Rainier said as she quickly walked over to help, taking the box from her hands, which made Maru release a sigh of relief, “Thank you.” 

Hiking her bag up over her shoulder, Maru continued walking, and Rainier blindly followed, not quite sure what she had just gotten into. Maru was already digging something out of the other bag in her hand as they approached the saloon, a few snowflakes falling through the air around them, peppering the wool of Rainier’s coat. 

“How do you feel about streamers, Rainier?” Maru asked, pushing the saloon door open, which to Rainier’s surprise, was already open. 

“Uh,” Rainier spoke cautiously, following Maru into the dark saloon, “I feel good about them, I think?” 

“Great, because I need your help.” Maru explained, flipping the lights on to reveal the empty saloon. Gesturing at the box, Maru asked, “Can you put those up?” 

Looking down, Rainier saw that the entire box was full of streamers. There had to be more than a dozen little spools of colorful ribbons in there. “I,” Rainier stammered, looking around the saloon, then back at the box, then at Maru, “I guess—”

“Great!” Maru exclaimed, already moving on to something else, the bags she was carrying get unpacked on the bar, revealing all sorts of party supplies. “You are saving my life right now, Rainier.” 

Setting the box on to one of the tables, Rainier took her coat and gloves off and draped them over the chair. “What is the occasion?” Rainier asked curiously, looking up at the ceiling and wondering where she would even begin. Maru had disappeared in the time that it took to take her coat off, making Rainier sigh to herself, “Okay.” 

After carefully searching around the saloon supply closet, Rainier found a ladder, and spent the next hour with her hands above her head, taping the streamers to the ceiling. Rainier wanted to complain, but really this was the most exciting thing that had happened to her in almost a week. Taking one of the pieces of tape she had pre cut and stuck to her arm, Rainier pinned another streamer. Things had been especially boring at the farm now that she wasn’t spending as much time with Sebastian. Or any time for that matter. That was okay though, really, it was just an adjustment. 

The sound of the door swinging open startled Rainier enough to almost make her fall back off the ladder, her hands grabbing on to the metal as she breathed a sharp, “Shit!” 

Maru entered, her arms full again, as she stumbled into the saloon, “Oh, Rainier! This looks beautiful!” She said behind all of the boxes in her arms, her breath heavy as she set them down on a table. Putting her hands on her hips, she looked up at the beautiful lines of color draped over the beams.

Rainier looked down from where she was balanced on the ladder, finally getting to ask, “What is all of this for, Maru?”

Maru’s eyes widened, an almost mischievous smile gracing her face, “Of course, I should’ve mentioned that, it’s  _ Dr. Harvey’s _ birthday.” 

Rainier swore she could hear her emphasize Harvey’s name but tried to pay no attention to it. Instead, she nodded, pinning the last streamer in her hand to the beam. “Does Harvey like, uh, birthday parties?” Rainier asked, a little surprised that rainbow streamers would be his taste.

“Oh, Yoba no,” Maru laughed, her head literally falling back at the thought, “Absolutely not.”

“Oh?” Rainier started to climb back down the ladder, her confusion evident to Maru who explained, “That’s why this is so fun. It’s a surprise party, he’s turning 35!” 

Rainier smiled, thinking it was cute that Maru would want to do something for her boss like this. A familiar feeling of, “I love this town,” settled in her chest, and Rainier took a deep breath before looking around and asking, “Anything else you need help with?” 

“I feel bad I hadn’t realized it was Harvey’s birthday,” Rainier admitted as she inflated what must’ve been her fiftieth balloon, “I don’t check that town calendar enough.” She sighed, a little light headed from all the deep breathing. 

“Don’t let Mayor Lewis hear you say that.” Maru teased, chuckling into the balloon she was trying to inflate. Finishing, she quickly tied it into a knot, the knuckles of her fingers a little red and sore from all the tying. “I think that’s the last of them,” she breathed.

Rainier mirrored her deep breath, falling back in her chair. “That was a lot of balloons.”

Maru looked at the completely covered floor around where they sat, laughing, “Do you think it’s too much?”

Rainier raised her eyebrows, laughing, “Yes, Maru.” 

Maru snickered, standing up and carefully kicking a few balloons out of her way as she shuffled, “Good. That was the goal.”

—

The apartment above the clinic was old and drafty. Harvey’s first winter in Pelican Town was shortly after he had moved in, and he slept in long sleeves and a jacket most nights. Eventually he installed a better heater and things weren’t quite as cold through the bitter months. Still, today his feet were cold as he shuffled around the apartment getting ready. Pulling on a pair of socks, Harvey looked into his closet and sighed. Grabbing the same shirt he always did, he quickly got dressed and went down to the clinic like he always did. 

Hours passed slowly in the clinic some days. Today was not one of those days. After seeing a few last minute flu patients from neighboring towns and taking a few Telehealth calls, Harvey was shocked to see that it was already dark outside. Looking at his to-do list of things he thought he would be able to do today, and seeing that he hadn’t had time to do any of them, he begrudgingly flipped the page over and turned his attention to the rest of the mess in front of him. 

“Happy Birthday.” Harvey quietly said to himself as he gathered up the files scattered over the desk. Maru was a great help on the days she worked, and Harvey felt very aware of the amount of work she usually does for him on the days he sees patients alone. Sighing, he pulled the file cabinet drawer open and started flipping through the alphabetical tabs, sliding the appropriate files in as he went. As he slowly walked back to the exam room, unenthusiastically prepared to clean, he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. Sliding his hand between the fabric, he saw a text from Maru. For a moment his stomach flipped, realizing that this was the first time today anyone reached out to say Happy Birthday. 

**Maru** : Happy Birthday, boss! Want to come by the saloon for a birthday drink? 

(This isn’t actually a question, see you in 10 minutes.)

Chuckling, Harvey slid his phone back into his pocket and brought his hand up to run through his hair. Now that it was late Harvey really didn’t think going to the saloon sounded like the way he wanted to spend his birthday evening, but when he thought about his other plans, sitting on the couch, alone, finishing his model airplane, he decided he better grab his coat. 

It wasn’t that Harvey wasn’t a birthday person. Having never enjoyed being the center of attention, he found little to celebrate for the occasion. Especially now that he got older, the day seemed more like a reminder of the passing of time than a celebration.

The air was surprisingly cold, and Harvey winced as the inside of his nostrils burned from the bitter air. Now that it was winter the square was often empty when Harvey left the clinic. During the warmer months he would time his exit, not wanting to leave when it was too busy and get caught up in a conversation. The bottom of his shoes made a pleasant sound against the cobblestones, and for a moment he thought it was oddly quiet considering that the saloon was open. Usually the music and sounds of folks carrying on would drift out of the old building into the square. 

Not connecting the dots, Harvey proceeded to the door, reaching out with one hand to push it open, only to find that it was pitch dark inside. Surprised, Harvey paused, and before he could process that, the lights flipped on to reveal a room full of people, all jumping to their feet and shouting, “Happy Birthday, Dr. Harvey!”

The kids had noise kazoos and someone released a confetti popper into the air, the small pieces of rainbow paper showering down on to the crowd of party hat adorned heads. Harvey’s mouth was agape as he looked into the room and Maru rushed forward, pointy hat in hand, smiling so hard her eyes were squinting, “Happy Birthday, Dr. Harvey!” 

“Maru—” he stammered, looking around again, shocked to see that the whole town was in here, even George was in the corner being grumpy. Lost for words, he was grateful to hear Gus turn the music on and see everyone disperse a little, drinks in hand. 

“Maru,” he started again, “This is, wow, this is a surprise. You didn’t have to—”

“Oh stop,” Maru rolled her eyes, wrapping her arms tightly around his middle, “You only turn 35 once, doc.”

Separating, Harvey looked at Maru and smiled, genuinely, “Thank you, Maru,” his eyes drifted around the room again, noticing all of the balloons and streamers, “This is very kind.” 

Maru was still beaming, and brought her hands up to sling the party hat over his head and around his chin, letting the thin elastic band snap against his neck just enough to sting. “Let’s get you a drink.”

Harvey had spoken to every person in town, having said thank you and hugged more people than he usually did in a whole year. Many folks brought little gifts; Jodi made him a whole batch of muffins, Gus of course said his drinks were on the house, Pierre even gave him a handmade gift card scrawled onto a bar napkin and drunkenly told him that next time he was in the store he could use it. The apples of his cheeks hurt from all of the smiling and his whole body thrummed with the amount of birthday glasses of wine that had been thrusted into his hand. Taking a seat, Harvey took a deep breath as he glanced around the room again, his heart swelling with appreciation. It was something he wouldn’t have ever assumed someone would have done for him, and he couldn’t believe that everyone was there for him. In the corner Harvey could see Jas and Vincent sitting together, both clearly out of place and up way past their bedtime. To his surprise though, Rainier was sitting with them, her legs crossed and her torso pressed against her thighs as she leant forward to play with whatever toys they had out on the table. The sight made Harvey smile, and as he was about to look away Rainier looked up and smiled back at him, making him curse to himself under his breath. 

Rainier didn’t know how she ended up at the kids table. Now that she was there though, she figured she might as well keep them entertained. Marnie and Jodi were having more fun than she ever saw them have, and considering she had nowhere to be any time soon, she didn’t want them to have to worry about what the two youngins were up to. Vincent and Jas had a very love hate relationship, and Rainier found herself much more entertained than she would’ve been sitting by herself. A few hours of playing with the weird trinkets they brought with, Rainier looked up to the bar, wondering if Harvey was still busy. She had been trying to hand off his gift all night, but Harvey was being passed from person to person. To her surprise Harvey was already looking in their direction, and she smiled, happy to see she had a window. 

Excusing herself, Rainier gave the two kids a pat on the head and after some forcing on their end, she promised she would be right back to keep playing. Rainier was not proud that she had forgotten Harvey’s birthday, but was glad that she had a few bottles of wine left from her first attempts at making it herself and a couple jars of pickles. She threw them all together in a basket and draped a nice piece of fabric over the top, and while it was last minute, she figured it would do. 

It had been weeks since Rainier had really talked to Harvey, and with all that had happened between then and now, the embarrassment and awkwardness had faded. All of the time alone had done her some good, taking the time to reflect had her feeling the most at peace she could ever remember being. Harvey, on the other hand, thought he might stop breathing as Rainier walked his way, basket in one hand and glass of wine in the other. In front of him now, Rainier lifted the basket onto the nearby stool.

“Happy Birthday, Dr. Harvey.” Rainier smiled. Harvey set his glass down on the bar so he could use both hands to carefully lift the fabric covering what was in the basket, “Rainier, you didn’t have to get me anything.”

There were two bottles of wine with an unfamiliar but simple label on them, and a few jars of his newly favorite pickles. “This is so kind of you, I love it.” Harvey flushed, feeling grateful. 

“I’m glad you like it.” Rainier smiled, swaying a bit on her feet before taking a step back towards where she was sitting, “Happy Birthday, Dr. Harvey. Have fun tonight.”

Harvey watched as she walked away, a thank you lingering on his lips. Looking back to the basket he grabbed one of the bottles of wine and ran his thumb over the smooth label,  _ Celestial Farm _ . 

—

The Night Market was one of the esteemed events of the valley that Rainier’s grandfather told many stories about. Held at the beach during the thick of winter, the Night Market brought a special energy to the quiet town. All of the colorful merchant boats docked in Pelican Town three nights in a row, bright lights floating in the water around them, drawing everyone down from town to shop the wares of merchants from lands far from there. It was a little taste of the entire world on one small dock, a convening of cultures and a celebration of sorts. 

Tonight it was unbelievably cold and Rainier was worried that two sets of mittens wouldn’t be enough to keep her warm in this bitter cold. When she walked through the firm, slightly frozen sand towards the dock she noted the beautiful lights strung from dock to dock, filling the air with a warm glow. The energy of the lights was palpable in the air, and Rainier suddenly wasn’t worried about the cold at all, even as it gently whipped at the ends of her hair that weren’t covered by her beanie. A warm, creamy scent filled the cold air, enticing Rainier to take a deep breath without fear of stinging her nostrils. Ornate rugs were laid over different patches of the old wood, their bright hues looking even more bright next to the dark, blue of the sea. A few elaborate light fixtures floated in the water between the merchant boats, illuminating a few feet of the dark water around them, exacerbating the depth and uncertainties of the water below. 

Rainier admired the deep colors of the merchant boats, a sight for eyes that had acclimated to the grays and whites of winter, and was amazed that they remained this bright while traveling out on the salt water. It was mystical and exciting, and Rainier took her time browsing the different merchant boats, finding the small canvas tote she brought with inadequate to hold all of her new goods. There were exotic spices, intricate handmade glassware, and seeds that she had never seen in her seed catalog before and could not wait to plant. Rainier enjoyed the tales of the merchants, and lingered at each boat to ask prying questions about their journeys, only to be met with more riddle-like answers and music like laughter. The air was laced with the same magic that filled the mines and roamed the forests, just like the quest and gift giving Junimos in the community center. 

The town folks didn’t seem to think anything of it, the natural magic of the valley unspoken between them. Rainier paused to talk to each she passed, happy to listen as they shared what they had found. Shane had Jas in tow, and for the first time Rainier had seen, there was a smile on his face as he walked hand in hand with his sister, both of their dark eyes twinkling with the lights above. Jas had warmed up to Rainier quite a bit after their time together during Harvey’s birthday party, and she happily told her about the candy that Shane had gotten her from one of the shops. Looking up to Shane, Rainier smiled, not wanting to blow it and say something cheesy and upset him, but also so happy to see him smiling. Shane shook his head at her, rolling his eyes as he grumbled, “Don’t look at me like that.”

“What?” Rainier smiled wider, unable to help herself. The two had gotten to know each other quite a bit, with a lot of persistence on Rainier's part, and sometimes quite literally running after him in the early morning as they passed in the square. Rainier ran into Shane out by the Cindersap Forest pond once in the late fall, and he invited her for a beer on the dock. It was the first time he had initiated a conversation with her after a summer of giving him fresh peppers, and Rainier knew that Shane had quite a bit on his spirit. They didn’t talk about it much after that, instead they’d talk about chickens. 

“Did you decide what kind of chickens you’re gettin’?” Shane asked, and Rainier was surprised that he remembered, she had mentioned that a few mornings ago in passing. 

“Not yet,” Rainier shook her head, “I think I’m just going to let Marnie pick em for me.” 

Shane nodded, sliding the hand that wasn’t holding Jas into the pocket of his surprisingly thin for this weather coat. “Well let me know what you go with, I’ll have to come see your coop sometime.”

Dumbfounded, Rainier nodded, her smile growing bigger again, “Yeah, yeah I will. I’ll see you two around.”

Shane gave a small smile and nodded, the pair walking around Rainier and heading off the dock to go back to the Ranch, the start of the night market was already pushing Jas’ bedtime. It was refreshing to see Shane a little more relaxed, and Rainier hoped there would be more days like that for him soon. 

By now her bag of wares had gotten much heavier than she was prepared to carry back to the farm, and figured she might as well leave too before she acquired more. Walking back down the dock, the light music of the market faded, her boots sinking just slightly into the sand as she walked up the beach. It got darker the further she walked, even just a few footsteps beyond the dock already near black. Looking up, she was surprised to see that the sky was clear, for once there were no hazy gray clouds lingering. A few stars twinkled against the dark, dark blue of the sky. It was fittingly beautiful, a nice end to a delightfully mystical evening. Bringing her eyes back from above her to the world around her, she noticed someone was walking towards her, having just crossed over the bridge. 

Harvey loved the Night Market. It was a joy during a bleak winter to have something so bright come to town. Not to mention, one of the best cups of coffee he has had in his entire life, was served by the same merchant every year. He was running a little later than he preferred, he liked to come as early as he could on the first night of the market. There was something more special about it then. Untouched, maybe? It was beautiful when the docks weren’t quite full yet. It was one of the only times Harvey found himself chatty, really. He took his time talking to every merchant, even stopped by some of the exhibit boats even though he has seen them all many times now. Though he never convinced himself to buy one, he admired the paintings the artists would bring, and wondered where in the world they must have been when they painted such a beautiful scene. Something so rich and bright, full of a life and energy completely different to the one he knew during winter. A cup of coffee this late at night was inadvisable for most, but the doctor found himself cherishing the cup, not having to pace himself too much though, because the bitter cold of the air threatened to cool the coffee faster than he could drink it. All of this energy thrummed under his skin as he crossed over the bridge, happy to see the string lights illuminating the docks in the distance. 

Rainier slowed down as the two grew closer, both of Harvey’s hands tucked into the pockets of his green coat, a beanie tugged down over his head, only a few pieces of brown hair peeking out beneath the knit fabric. It was the first time she could remember seeing Harvey wear something, well something other than the same thing he always wore. It looked nice on him, she could see more of his face this way, she noted, and as she opened her mouth to say hello Harvey noticed her, his eyebrows going up just slightly, but not skipping a beat as he said, “Hello, Rainier.”

“Hey, Dr. Harvey,” Rainier responded, neither of them quite at a complete stop yet as she continued, “How are you? How was the rest of your birthday?”

Harvey felt his feet sink a little further into the sand as he stopped walking, and he noticed the quite precariously stuffed bag in Rainier’s hand. “I cannot complain, and it was wonderful, thank you again for your gift. I’ve already enjoyed most of the pickles.”

This made Rainier laugh, her breath coming out in white puffs, and Harvey asked, “How are you? I see you enjoyed your first Night Market.”

Looking down at the bulging bag in her hands, Rainier chuckled a little, shaking her head as she looked back up and said, “I am good, and this definitely exceeded my expectations. I bought a piece of bread shaped like a  _ duck _ .”

Harvey smiled and couldn’t help but chuckle at this, and the two took a breath, each of their eyes looking in the opposite direction they were headed, “Well,” they both started, and then laughed, “I’ll—” they did it again, and Rainier laughed even harder, quickly speaking again before they could interrupt each other, “I,” she emphasized, still chuckling, “Will see you around. Have a good night.”

Rainier was off before Harvey could respond, and he looked over his shoulder as she disappeared over the bridge, heavy bag swinging just a little as she walked. Looking back to the market, Harvey walked a little slower towards the dock, shaking his head a little. Rainier was funny. 

—

Rainier already had quite a few chickens but was itching to get more, and the boredom of the winter seemed like good enough of a reason as any. Marnie had a whole selection of chickens, more than Rainier knew existed. They settled on the same heritage breed that she already had, but Marnie had almost convinced her to get a few of the fluffy head breed. Walking to the ranch was easy compared to some of the other paths she took through town, and Rainier liked the reminder of just how deep her grandfather’s, well, her, land went. The southernmost part of the pond was still pretty densely wooded, and there was a crystal blue lake tucked inside. The ground was mossy at some parts during the warmer months, the line between the property and the Cindersap forest blurred. It was a different type of beautiful during the winter, and Rainier didn’t mind the snowy walk through the pines. As the path opened up to the clearing, Rainier could hear a few of Marnie’s cows mooing in their barn. 

Inside of Marnie’s ranch always smelled lightly of hay, but in the best way. It was warm inside compared to the blustery day outside, and Rainier enjoyed the sound of the fire cracking as she waited at the counter for Marnie. It was odd for Marnie not already be behind the counter when they arranged to meet. Regardless, Rainier didn’t mind waiting, so she looked around. There were photos hung around the room, of some people Rainier recognized, and many she didn’t. Walking closer to the wall, Rainier peered at a photo of Marnie, Shane and Jas all together. Jas was younger in the photo, Shane was too, his face looked softer then. Marnie was grinning from ear to ear, Jas in one arm and her other around Shane. Rainier knew that Marnie was Shane’s aunt, but she didn’t know what happened to Shane’s mother. 

As she was about to look at another photo, she heard Marnie’s footsteps approaching from the kitchen, and she took a few steps back to the register. As Marnie entered the room she spotted Rainier and stopped for a moment and jumped, “Oh, Rainier!” She said quickly, taking a deep breath, “I’m so sorry, I completely lost track of time.”

Rainier smiled at Marnie, shaking her head, “No! I haven’t been waiting that long, and I really do not mind,”

Marnie gave her a small smile in return, wiping her hands on the apron tied around her waist while taking another deep breath. “I found Shane passed out in his bedroom this morning.” She admitted, one of her hands coming up to rest on her forehead, her eyes tired, “I just— I’m sorry, Rainier, you must think I’m a mess.”

Rainier cocked her head to the side slightly, taking a few steps closer to Marnie, “No— Marnie, I’m sorry. Is Shane okay?” She asked, worried.

Marnie nodded, taking a shakier breath this time, “His drinking has just,” she clicked her tongue, shaking her head while she pinched her eyes shut for a moment, “I wish I knew what I could do for him.” 

Rainier reached one arm out to rest her hand on the side of Marnie’s arm, hoping to provide just a little reassurance, knowing there was nothing she could really say at this moment. As she pulled her hand away Marnie stood up a little straighter, giving her head a tilt to each side to stretch as she did so, taking a deep breath, “Hoo, okay. Let’s get you those chicks girl.”

Marnie headed back into the kitchen to go to the barn, and Rainier watched as she went, really feeling for her in that moment. As Marnie disappeared from view she could hear voice start, and Rainier couldn’t help but hear Marnie’s voice, “What is your plan for the future, Shane? We can’t keep doing this, you can’t keep doing this.”

Shane scoffed, and Rainier thought for a moment she should leave, not wanting to intrude. Shane continued, voice flat, “Hopefully I won’t be around long enough to need a plan.” 

Marnie came back out to the foyer, quickly wiping at the tears on her face. “Rainier, honey,” she started, but Rainier nodded, already headed towards the door, “I’m sorry, Marnie,” Marnie nodded, her lips pressing into a line for a moment in a sad smile. 

—

Rainier hadn’t planned to go to the second night of the Night Market. The first night left her with more spices than she could ever cook with, and more decorative vases than she had shelves for. The excess of vases and lack of shelves lead to Rainier frustratingly throwing her coat on charging up to Robin’s shop, ignoring the snow blowing into her face, each little flake hitting her face and then melting into her skin. Wiping her boots off on the doormat, Rainier heard Robin already greeting her from behind her desk, her reading glasses getting pushed up onto her head as Rainier shut the door behind herself. 

“Rainier,” Robin smiled, “What brings you in?”

Rainier stood in front of the counter and sighed, realizing that she couldn’t put it off any longer. Robin had been pestering her to upgrade her house since she moved to the valley. Always going on about how she couldn’t, “Meet somebody, let alone start a family in a cabin that small.”

Rainier would always roll her eyes, knowing that it was plenty of space. Until it wasn’t. 

The single room cabin was plenty of space when she spent all of her days outside on the farm. Even on a rainy day she didn’t notice the lack of space, she was just glad to have a day off her feet. A few months into winter had Rainier feeling stir crazy, and she thought if she stubbed her toe on her kitchen table or couch one more time she might lose it. 

“I want to upgrade my house.” Rainier said flatly, already knowing that Robin was going to start snickering. And she did. 

“Well, I never thought I would see the day.” Robin gloated, “The old cabin isn’t  _ “plenty of space” _ now is it.” 

Rainier rolled her eyes, joking, “You know, actually, I heard about this contractor in Grampleton—”

Robin told her to hush, rolling her newspaper up just to swat her with it over the counter. 

After practically a whole day of planning, contract signing, and Rainier woefully writing a check for a hefty portion of her summer earnings, they wrapped things up. They decided to add a kitchen and living room, and while they were at it, an additional bedroom and bathroom. 

“For the baby,” Robin insisted. “Or a guest bedroom.” Rainier rolled her eyes. Robin ignored her, and continued working on the blueprint, “Or the baby.” 

As Rainier was getting ready to say goodbye to Robin and head for the door, Maru walked in from the back of the house, smiling, “Hey, Rainier,” she said, “I was just going to text you!”

Rainier cocked her eyebrow, “Yeah?”

“I wanted to know if you wanted to go to the Night Market tonight, mom and I are going.” Maru explained, leaning against the wall where she stood. 

Touched that she wanted to invite her, Rainier quickly nodded, after all, she’ll have more storage in a few weeks once the construction is done. 

The Night Market was just as magical the second night. Rainier walked around with Maru and Robin, happy to see that most of the same vendors from the night before were there. Robin insisted she get a cup of coffee, even though Rainier wouldn’t drink it this late, because, “You can drink it tomorrow! It only comes once a year!” 

And Maru smartly corrected her, “Well, three times a year.” 

Robin playfully bumped Maru with her shoulder, pretending to push her into the water and Maru laughed, her head falling back when she did. Rainier couldn’t help but laugh at the two, and as they continued to walk she was surprised to see Sebastian at the end of the dock.

“Hey, Seb!” Maru called, quickly walking the rest of the way to him just to playfully punch him in the arm. Sebastian pretended to scoff and kicked his leg back at her, making Maru laugh again. Rainier walked slowly with Robin the rest of the way, both enjoying the sights as they walked. As they got to the end of the dock they had formed quite a group, Abigail and Sam there too. Rainier gave Abigail a hug and Sam grabbed a hold of both of them, cooing, “Ohh group huuug!”

As they separated Rainier looked to Sebastian, who was smiling. “Hey,” he said, and Rainier smiled back, nodding, “Hey.”

Rainier was grateful it wasn’t awkward. After a few moments of everyone talking amongst themselves Rainier excused herself, laughing as everyone but Robin called her lame for going to bed so early. The walk back into town was quiet, everyone who was out was gathered at the beach. The cobblestones had some fresh snow on them, and Rainier watched her step as she clutched the cup of coffee between both of her hands, enjoying the warmth through her mittens.

The fall of snow was gentle but persistent, and Rainier noticed the small gathering of flakes on the lid of the beverage, and blew, her breath sending the light crystals flying off into the air. Looking back up, she came into the square, looking at the lampposts and the way the snow danced through the light they casted. The sound of the saloon door swinging shut brought her attention down from the sky to see Harvey taking a few careful steps down the stairs. 

“Hey,” she said, wanting to make herself known and not spook him. Harvey looked up, eyes widening as he saw Rainier. His cheeks were a little pink, and even after just a few moments of being outside, snowflakes peppered his brown hair. “Hello, Rainier.” He spoke, voice steady.

Rainier smiled, continuing to walk until they were side by side. “Some Tuesday night libations?” Rainier asked, kind of teasing, kind of curious. 

Harvey chuckled lightly, bringing a gloved hand up to rub the back of his neck as they continued to walk, slower now, towards the clinic. “Yeah, it is Tuesday isn’t it?” 

Rainier laughed softly at that, aware of the way their sound was traveling through the quiet night. Harvey sighed, “Just been a busy few weeks. People get a lot more sick this time of year.”

Rainier hummed in acknowledgement, nodding as they came closer to the clinic. Harvey noticed the cup in her hands, noting the familiar design from the merchant at the market, “That coffee is the best.”

Rainier wanted to chuckle, because that was more casual than Harvey usually let himself speak. Now nearing the door, Rainier’s steps started to veer closer to the path that would take her to the farm. Harvey pulled his keys from his pocket, and Rainier opened her mouth to speak, but Harvey beat her to it, “Goodnight, Rainier.”

She smiled, the coffee still slightly warm between her palms, “Goodnight, Harvey.”

—

The Feast of the Winter Star had town the busiest Rainier had seen in weeks. Everyone was bustling around setting up decorations, taking trips to the city to get gifts, and hanging wreaths on every door, even Rainier’s. It was a beautiful time of year, and Rainier was excited to celebrate with everyone. In the city her family celebrated the Feast of the Winter Star much more casually. They had a nice dinner together and exchanged gifts. This year, her parents took a trip out of the country, deciding to enjoy a warmer climate for the holiday. Rainier didn’t blame them, especially as she walked to town through the chilly air. It was the first holiday she was spending without them, but she didn’t feel alone. 

Sights of celebration were all over the square, a big, beautiful table in the middle, covered in decorations and platters yet to be filled with food. Gus and Emily were taking trips back and forth from the Saloon carrying out big plates of steaming food, and everyone gathered in clusters around the table and started moving to their seats. After a delicious meal and a way too long speech from Mayor Lewis, it was time for the secret gift exchange.

Rainier was delighted when she got the letter from Mayor Lewis revealing that Shane was her assigned gift recipient. After hearing what happened at Marnie’s ranch, Rainier had been bothering Shane even more in the mornings. Even on mornings she didn’t need anything in town, Rainier would pull her coat and boots on and hurry into town, just to, “Run in to” Shane and ask how he was doing. Every day Shane would grumble at her, but some days he would grumble less than others. While it wasn’t as friendly as it was the first Night Market, it was much friendlier than where they started. 

Rainier wasn’t sure what she was hoping she would accomplish by always bringing him fermented peppers and bugging him on his way to work. She just really wanted him to be okay. Already, she felt a sense of responsibility for this town. It started as soon as she realized that she could work with the Junimos to restore the community center. Everyone in town spoke so fondly of the old community center. They told tale after tale of the events they would hold there. Penny would occasionally wistfully talk about the empty space, saying there was a whole room in there that would be perfect for the children to use for school. The community center was getting closer and closer to finishing, and if she wasn’t already invested in this town, she sure felt like it now. Rainier really, wholly and truly, cared about everyone who lived here. 

Walking up behind Shane, who was sharing a cigarette with Sebastian, Rainier tapped his shoulder, holding a carefully wrapped box in the other hand. Shane turned around, giving a small, very small, smile. Rainier extended the box, which Shane carefully accepted, raising his eyebrows, “It’s you?”

Rainier nodded, smiling. Shane put his cigarette out and opened the box to find more fermented peppers. Rainier couldn’t help but chuckle when Shane rolled his eyes, joking but voice still a little flat, “Always the peppers.”

Everyone around them had started tearing into their gifts as well, and Rainier took the moment to ask, “How are you?”

Shane sighed, about to say something smart, but instead shrugging. Rainier noticed the defeat and cocked her head a little, and Shane elaborated, “Just tired you know.”

Rainier shook her head, lips pressed together. “If you ever need to,” she started, not wanting to push too far, “talk, or anything. I’m around.”

Shane nodded, eyes looking to his feet as he muttered almost too quietly to be heard, “Thanks.”

—

To Rainier’s surprise and delight, winter was coming to a close. The snow on the ground was playing a game of back and forth, melting during the day when the sun peered down and refreezing at night as temperatures dropped back down below freezing. It made everything a little uglier, the larger banks of snow covered in grey and black soot as they slowly melted into the ground below. The ground was muddy, but Rainier was just happy to see her fields again.

Anticipation had Rainier very busy. In one of the most impressive feats of the Junimos yet, they repaired her decrepit greenhouse, not only making it functional, but beautiful. Rainier almost fell over the morning she walked outside to see it. How the Junimos did it, she did not know. All she knew was that the magic of the valley was ever-present. Inside the greenhouse she had row after row of seed starts, trying to get as much of a head start as she could on her crops. She hoped once the muddy end of winter was over and the last frost had come and gone, she could put her already started plants into the soil, speeding up the harvest time. It was only season two, but Rainier felt like she had already learned so much her first season in the valley. After a year of tending the field she felt like she knew it like a limb of her own body. 

The new chicks had grown under the constant hovering of Rainier and a heat lamp, and a few of them started to cautiously exit the coop on the warmer days. Today, Rainier put on her rain boots and tramped through the snow melt saturated fields to begin setting up her sprinkler system. It would be a few weeks before she got to turn it on, but the task had been burning a hole in Rainier’s mind all winter. The sprinklers would drastically decrease the amount of time Rainier spent working on the crops. Only having to worry about weeding and harvesting left a lot of her energy for other projects. Which was good, because the plethora of passion projects Rainier started during the winter were coming to fruition, and she wondered if she would have enough hands to do it all. 

Rainier was no engineer, but with very clear instructions from Maru, the sprinklers were fairly easy to install and wire, and while it was hard to see the big picture without the crops out, it was done. Hands on her hips, Rainier took a deep breath, blowing the air out of her mouth quickly. It was nice to be out working again, like a homecoming of sorts after a long Winter. Looking around her farm, Rainier felt almost giddy with excitement. It wasn’t quite Spring yet, but she couldn’t wait. 

—

“Coffee?” Harvey asked, eyebrows raised, “For me?”

Rainier laughed as she reached her arm out a little further, insisting that he take the cup. Harvey happily accepted, immediately bringing the cup to his lips and taking a sip, an involuntary sigh leaving his mouth as it traveled down his throat. 

There was another cup of coffee in her hand, and before he could ask who it was for, Maru walked in from the back, her bag in hand. “I’m going to head out, Doctor Harvey—” Maru was surprised to see Rainier as the doors swung shut behind her with a whoosh, “Rainier! What’re you doing here?”

“This is for you,” Rainier extended her arm, smiling and she exclaimed, “My sprinklers work!”

Maru’s smile grew wider and she accepted the familiar to-go cup from the Saloon, asking excitedly, “Really?”

Rainier nodded, pulling her phone from her pocket as she continued, “The coffee is a thank you, I couldn’t have done it without you. I can’t believe it works.”

In her hand, she turned her phone to the side, playing a video that she had taken that morning of the sprinklers getting turned on for the first time, a shower of water falling over her field. 

“Oh my Yoba, Rainier!” Maru exclaimed, putting her coffee and bag down on one of the seats in the waiting room and coming closer to look at the video, “That’s amazing, look at it go!”

The clip was short, and as it ended Rainier brought her eyes back up to Harvey who was behind the front desk, cocking her head to the side as she asked, “Want to see?”

Harvey tried not to look surprised that he was being included, but quickly nodded, taking a few steps forward and putting his hands against the edge of the counter. Rainier passed her phone to him, their fingers brushing as she did. 

“Wow,” Harvey said as he watched, holding the phone carefully in both hands, “I had no idea your farm looked like this.” He admitted as he handed the phone back. Maru had given Rainier a quick hug before rushing out the door, muttering something about meeting Leah and having to go, Harvey tossed a goodbye her way as the door clicked shut. 

Rainier chuckled a little, sliding her phone back in her pocket. “You’ll have to come see it some time.”

Harvey smiled at this, nodding as he agreed, “I can’t remember the last time I was out there. I think it must’ve been the first day I moved to Pelican Town.”

Rainier’s eyes and smile widened at this, “Then you’ll definitely have to.”

Rainier realized that she might have jumped the gun on testing her sprinklers as she left the clinic. Laughing to herself, she felt the rain land in fat drops against her face. Pulling the hood of her raincoat over her head, she decided to take the path south of the farm home, happy to have a chance to see the rain along the river. The muddy season had wrapped up to reveal the beginning of the lush green Spring. It was still a little chilly out while it rained, but there were more warmer days than not lately. Despite taking it regularly, the path south of the farm still felt unfamiliar. There always seemed to be different things to notice along the way, the Cindersap forest itself was full of surprises. Just as she passed Leah’s cottage and Marnie’s ranch, where the cows were happily mooing in the rain, Rainier noticed someone out by the cliff near the water. Looking closer, she wondered what they were doing out there in the rain, sitting on the ground of all places. 

There must’ve been half a second between it clicking that the person was laying on the ground and Rainier taking off in a sprint. Just a few feet closer she confirmed what she couldn’t have even imagined but feared most. It was Shane, face down in the grass, cans of beer scattered all around him. The rain fell faster now and Rainier was worried she might slip as she came to a halt where Shane was groaning on the ground. 

“Shane?” She yelled over the rain, her hands shaking as she knelt down to place one on his shoulder, nervously shaking the man as she asked again, “Shane? Shane can you hear me?”

Shane released another groan, a puddle of vomit beneath his pale cheek. “Oh Shane,” she felt her heart beating almost painfully fast in her chest, a million thoughts running through her mind, “Shane, Shane, you’ve got to wake up, Shane,” 

The groaning continued, and Rainier felt her eyes filling with tears, not that it mattered with as hard as the rain was falling now. Mind scattered, Rainier felt herself freeze for a moment, completely unsure of what to do now. One of her hands stayed on his shoulder, steadily shaking him back and forth as she breathed heavily, frantically repeating his name over and over, hoping it would wake him. 

Snapping out of it, she pulled her phone from her pocket, desperately trying to unlock it as the rain splashed against the glass screen. Shakily, she pulled up Harvey’s contact, relieved when she could hear the dial tone against her wet ear. 

“Shane,” she kept repeating, hand still shaking him, “Shane, please wake up!”

The line only rang a few times before Harvey picked up, his voice confused as he asked, “Rainier? Hello?”

“Yes, yes,” she yelled into the phone, entire body shaking as Shane wretched again, the smell of beer filling her nostrils, the vomit getting washed away by the pounding rain. “Shane, it’s Shane,” Rainier stammered, almost dropping her phone as she tried to adjust Shane more so he wouldn’t choke on his own vomit, “He’s— I’m, I found him in the Cindersap forest, by the cliff, he’s, Harvey—” 

Harvey didn’t let her finish, “Stay where you are.”

—

Rainier was soaked through her clothes and sitting anxiously in the waiting room of the clinic, one of her hands pressed against her lips as she gnawed at her fingernails. Shane was in the back with Harvey, and Marnie rushed in a few minutes after they got back from the Cindersap forest, her face ghostly pale. Rainier immediately stood to greet her, unsure of how she could be helpful.

“Where is he?” Marnie breathed heavily, her hands visibly shaking. Rainier gestured toward the double doors that led to the rarely used emergency end of the clinic. Pulling Rainier in for a hug, a sob wracked Marnie’s body, “Thank you so much, Rainier,”

Rainier took a deep breath, her arms wrapped cautiously around Marnie, and breathed out, “Please let me know if you need anything.”

Marnie pulled back and wiped at her cheeks, straightening up a bit as she stepped through the doors. Rainier watched as they swung shut behind her, the sounds of machines beeping and scuffling around briefly heard before it went silent again. 

Taking a shaky breath, Rainier sat down again, her fingernails back in her mouth. Shane had started to wake up after Harvey had hung up, his voice was weak and scratchy, his eyes barely able to open.

“Rainier?” He coughed. Rainier jumped at the sound, both of her hands bracing his shoulders now as he sputtered. 

“Shane,” she said, still panicked but slightly relieved, “Shane, I’m here, I’m here,”

Shane groaned a little bit more, another wretch causing him to spew more all over the ground. Rainier winced as his whole body shuddered. “Help is coming, Shane, just try and stay awake,” Rainier begged, voice shakier than she wanted to come off, she didn’t want to make him nervous. 

“Why shouldn’t I just roll off this cliff?” He asked weakly, another wretch clenching his stomach. Rainier took a deep breath, terrified that wasn’t just a question. 

The rain continued to fall over them, Shane’s hair completely flat from all the rain, and Rainier’s coat doing little to keep her dry. “I’m miserable, Rainier,” he continued, a wet cough causing his whole body to tense, “What’s the point? Why shouldn’t I just die?”

Rainier thought of everything she could say and nothing seemed helpful. Defeated, she let herself fall from her knees to sit on the ground beside him, one hand still bracing his shoulder even now that he was conscious. 

“The decision is your own.” Rainier said, worried that it wasn’t the right thing to say, but knowing it was the truth, “Just know that I’m here for you.”

Shane opened one of his eyes a little more, trying to get a look at Rainier. The answer surprised him, half of him expected the same thing people always said,  _ “You have so much to live for! You have to do it for Jas! You’re like a father to her. Don’t you want a future?” _

Struggling to sit up, Shane stayed where he was, taking a deep sigh as his eyes closed again. “Thanks... I appreciate that... I really do.”

Back in the clinic, Rainier jumped when she heard the double doors swinging open again. Harvey walked into the waiting area, his hair a little tousled and his hands in his now dirt stained white coat. Rainier stood as he came closer, bringing her hand down from her mouth, opting to let her arms fall to her sides. 

“He’s stable,” Harvey explained, his eyes soft, “He’s going to be fine.”

Rainier took a deep breath, nodding as she listened. “I’m more worried about his mental health. I have a colleague in Zuzu that I think will be a good fit.”

“Okay,” Rainier breathed out, a wave of exhaustion falling over her body and she repeated more quietly this time, “Okay.”

Harvey could tell she was understandably frazzled and took another step forward, almost wanting to reach out to put a comforting hand on her shoulder, but ultimately deciding not to. “You should head home and get some rest, Rainier.” Harvey said calmly, like he always did, “Get some dry clothes too.”

Rainier looked down at her soaked clothes and took a shaky breath, unable to stop the tears from welling in her eyes again, “Okay,” she sighed, not making any moves to leave, and her voice quaking as she added, “Thank you.”

Feeling at her limit, Rainier let the sob come, her shoulders slumping and head falling forward, her hands coming up to cup her eyes as she cried. Harvey felt his chest hurt at the sight, she looked so scared like this. “I just—” she stuttered through the tears, “I was so worried. I thought he was going to die, I didn’t know what to do— I almost, I don’t know what I would’ve done—”

Rainier’s breath got more labored as she sobbed, her entire body shaking with the force of the tears. Stepping forward, Harvey carefully wrapped both of his arms around Rainier, who walked into the embrace, her forehead coming to rest against his sternum. They both stood still for a moment while she continued to cry, and without realizing it Harvey had let his chin come to rest on the top of her wet hair, one of his hands rubbing slow, firm circles into the middle of her back, humming, “ _ Shh _ ,” quietly. It took a few moments, but Rainier’s breath slowed back down. Neither of them moved to separate though, instead they swayed there for a moment, the front of Harvey’s button down soaked from the rain and tears at this point. 

“I’m sorry,” Rainier took a deep breath as she stood up straight and Harvey’s arms fell from where they had wrapped around her. As Rainier wiped at her face, pushing a few strands of wet hair out of the way and sniffling, Harvey spoke, “You did everything you could, Rainier. He’s going to be okay.”

Rainier nodded, not quite looking Harvey in the eyes, “He’s going to be okay.” She repeated. 

“Yes,” Harvey affirmed, watching as she took inventory of herself, patting her pockets to make sure she had her phone and looking at her chair to see if she brought anything else with her.

“Okay.” Rainier sighed for what felt like the hundredth time. Heading to the door, she turned to Harvey one more time, sadly chuckling, “I’m sorry for crying on you.”

Harvey only shrugged, a small smile rising on his lips, “It’s part of the gig.”

The sound of Rainier’s genuine laugh lingered as the front door shut behind her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have really enjoyed writing this story, thank you all for taking the time to read! Let me know what you think in the comments, I am always open to thoughts and suggestions. :0)
> 
> See you soon! Next chapter we have some Harvey on the farm fun.


	6. Chapter Six

The valley bloomed with shades of green unique to the region. Richer and brighter, the green of spring truly brought life back to Stardew after what felt like an endless winter. The first few weeks of spring after the last frost were slow. Rainier spent many days in the warm greenhouse starting all of her crops in neat trays. The seeds grew over the colder days, the tips of their early green peeking out of the rich soil. Before Rainier knew it the plant starts were ready to be transplanted into the fields, and she found herself on her hands and knees in the dirt, all of the fresh compost she had dumped into rows soft beneath her hands. It felt like a homecoming, all of her senses pleased with the smells and feels of the Earth surrounding her again after so many months of cold. 

Beneath the rays of the sun, Rainier wore less and less layers each day, and her plants went from sprouts to some being ready to harvest. Soon the temperature was warm even in the morning, sunscreen and sun hats taking place of fleece sweaters and beanies. The sun was surprisingly direct as Rainier bent in half over a row of beans, her hands moving as fast as they could to pull the pods from the vines and toss them into the basket at her feet. Sweat gathered on her brow until it couldn’t anymore and ran down her face. Hastily, Rainier brought the back of her gloved hand up to wipe at the sweat before it got in her eyes. Standing up straight, Rainier took a deep breath, her hands coming to her hips. Everything around her in the fields was green, something Rainier had found comfort in her first season when she was constantly asking herself,  _ “What if it doesn’t grow?” _

Trips to town became more and more infrequent further into spring as Rainier planted crop successions for the quickly approaching summer. Sometimes it felt hard to live in the moment as a farmer, the next season always felt like it was on the horizon, and every decision, especially in the early spring, felt like the entire year was riding on it. Still, Rainier loved it more than she ever loved the work she did before. 

A natural opportunity for a short break had introduced itself now that she was upright, and Rainier left the basket in the row where she was working and headed back up to the porch to grab her water bottle. Taking a seat on the edge, Rainier, very inelegantly, chugged about half of the bottle before setting it aside herself with a deep breath. While drinking, someone had appeared from South of the farm, and Rainier jumped at the sight, immediately rising to her feet to get a better look.

Few people came on to the farm, especially without giving Rainier notice, and she was curious but relieved to see that it was Shane of all people approaching her. Rainier started walking his way, a big smile on her face as she said, “Shane, what a pleasant surprise!”

“Hey,” Shane greeted her, his eyes on his feet, “Uh, sorry to show up unannounced.

Rainier pulled her dirt covered gloves off and slipped them into the front of her overalls, “No need to apologize, I’m glad you came by.”

Shane looked up for a moment and then back down again, his hand rubbing the back of his neck, “Anyway,” he cleared his throat, shifting where he stood as he continued, “I just wanted to come by to say I’m sorry about the other day.”

Rainier felt her chest ache, and couldn’t help it when her lips pressed together and turned to that same sad smile he must be sick of getting. Shane brought his eyes up to her when he said, “Thank you. For, uh, everything I guess. I don’t know why you wanted to be my friend so bad,” he chuckled quietly, “But I’m glad you were there.”

The sad smile turned up at the corners and Rainier fought the desire to step forward and hug him, “Me too.”

Shane took a deep breath and sighed, his hand dropping from the back of his neck as he looked around. “I haven’t been out here in ages,” he admitted, his eyes softening as he took in his surroundings, “Sheesh, Rain, you’ve been busy.”

“Rain?” Rainier chuckled, her eyes following his around the farm, both of them taking a few steps towards the barn and coop without having to say anything. “Yeah,” Shane said, like it was obvious, “That’s your nickname.”

Warmed by the fondness, Rainier decided not to tease him further about it. Rain. 

“Want to see the chickens?” Rainier asked as they walked, a few of the older chickens coming into the view the closer they came to the pasture. Shane nodded, “Didn’t come this far not to see ‘em.”

Rainier feigned offense, gasping, “Wait, you didn’t come to see me?”

Shane only rolled his eyes, a smile that Rainier didn’t often see gracing his lips as he saw the whole flock gathered in front of the coop. The two crouched to the ground almost in sync, neither of them realizing it, both focused on the chickens. Immediately, a few walked to Shane, their necks turning curiously at the new visitor. One of Rainier’s oldest chickens walked to her and she lightly wrapped her arms around them, standing up and carrying them with her as she walked around. To Rainier’s surprise, as she poked around their feed box to make sure she didn’t need to get more, Shane had picked up two chickens, both of them calm in his arms. 

“Wow,” Rainier laughed, startling the chicken in her embrace, who Rainier quickly offered a hushed _ I’m sorry _ to, “They like you.” 

Shane shrugged, his eyes on his new found companions, “Chickens are easy.”

—

For the first time in what must’ve been a fortnight, Rainier found herself with nothing else to check off her to-do list— today. Now that the cupboards had grown bare a trip to town was in order. The path to town was much more grown in since the last time Rainier had walked it, and the dirt wasn’t nearly as muddy as it was after the snow melt. The abandoned bus stop seemed to be more consumed by the nature that surrounded it this year, the old ticket meter slowly being wrapped in a fresh vine of ivy. It seemed like such a waste, for the old bus to just sit idle all this time. Rainier didn’t actually know where the bus ran, she heard Emily talk about the desert a few times, but most people around town just seemed to forget it ever existed. 

The community center was almost completely renovated, Rainier was only a few items away from completing the remaining bundles. To her amazement, every time she brought the junimos their requested items, the next day she would find they fulfilled their promises and then some; things she didn’t imagine they could do. How? She had no idea, but she knew that the magic was all over this valley. Deep in the mines, out in the ocean, and tucked in the forests. 

As the dirt path transitioned to the stones of the square, Rainier realized that the limited trips to town had left her a little starved for socialization. Pierre was more than happy to talk her ear off as she shopped around the general store, and Rainier was happy to listen. If she wanted to get the updates on town gossip, Pierre or Gus were the guys to go to, nothing got past them. 

“ _ And _ ,” Pierre mused as Rainier looked at the granola, “Robin told me that Sebastian is apartment hunting in Zuzu this weekend.”

Rainier hummed in response, not surprised to hear this, “Yeah?”

Pierre chirped a yes, and continued, “Abigail is devastated of course.”

“Mm,” Rainier continued listening as she grabbed a container of yogurt made of milk from Marnie’s cows. They caught up on the rest of town business as he ran her transaction, including a very detailed account of the last town meeting she wasn’t able to make. Bag in hand, Rainier left the general store, taking a deep breath of the fresh spring air. Down by the river she could see Penny standing nearby with a book in hand as Jas and Vincent played together, running around the fresh grass. Penny put her book down to remind them not to be so rough, especially so close to the water. 

Rainier peered in the window of the clinic to see if Maru was working. Behind the desk, Maru was processing samples, her brow furrowed in the middle as she focused. The front door bell chimed when Rainier carefully opened the door and stepped into the air conditioned waiting area, the cool, sterile air sprouting goosebumps over the exposed skin of her arms. Even though spring had been in full swing for quite some time now, she hadn’t quite gotten over the gratitude of Winter being over.

Maru heard the bell and looked up to see the farmer, “Rainier!” she exclaimed, almost dropping her sample but catching herself with a grimace. Rainier couldn’t help but chuckle at the clumsiness as she said, “Hey, Maru.”

“You surprised me,” Maru laughed, now, carefully, putting her last sample in, “I almost dropped my—” she spoke to soon, her hand brushing her fortunately empty coffee mug off the edge of the desk and tumbling to the floor, making a surprisingly dramatic sound, but not breaking. Both stood still for a second, trying not to laugh as they waited for the inevitable sound of Harvey approaching from the back of the clinic.

“What was that?” He asked calmly as he walked through the hall that led to the front desk. Maru fought a snicker as she responded, loudly so he could hear her, “Just me being clumsy, don’t worry.”

Harvey was already there though, with a teasing edge that Rainier didn’t usually hear on his voice, “Be careful, remember we don’t want to break our  _ “23 incident free work days”  _ streak,” his eyebrows went up as he noticed Rainier standing by the door, “Oh, Rainier— what brings you in today?”

“Just wanted to stop by and say hello,” Rainier explained, taking a few steps forward to stand across the counter from Maru, tossing a lighthearted, “Don’t think I forgot about you coming out to see the farm.”

Maru’s eyes widened at that, and she turned to see Harvey, and then looked back to Rainier, only to look back at Harvey again, asking, “You’re going to go see the farm?”

Harvey’s cheeks had just the lightest dusting of pink on them while Rainier and Maru were both looking at him, putting him on the spot, and he laughed, “How’s this weekend?”

It was Rainier’s turn to be surprised now, not thinking Harvey would have actually agreed, and she stuttered, “This weekend? Yeah— I mean yes, that works,” 

Neither of them noticed, but Maru was literally slack jawed from the exchange before snapping out of it and feigning annoyance, “I’d be hurt that I wasn’t invited, but I have plans anyway.”

Harvey retreated back into the clinic as Rainier and Maru did some light catching up. Out of the corner of her eye she could see the clock, and knew that there were not enough hours left to do all the things she hoped to do. Sighing, Rainier stood from where she was leaning against the counter on her elbows, “I better get going.”

Later, as Maru was preparing to leave for the day, she poked her head into the exam room Harvey had settled in to do his chart notes. “You headed out?” He asked, not needing to look up from the screen of his laptop to know Maru was nearby.

Maru hummed a yes, and almost, almost, didn’t crack any jokes about the Rainier of it all, “I’ll see you next week. Have fun at  _ the farm  _ this weekend.”

Before he could look up, or ask if she had meant to emphasize the farm like that, Maru was gone, the bell on the front door ringing behind her.

—

“Dr. Harvey set me up with a therapist or whatever.” Shane admitted, his hands covered in dirt as he helped Rainier trellis the tomatoes growing in the greenhouse. Rainier’s eyes stayed trained on her hands that were carefully winding the young and delicate vines, “Yeah? How is that?”

How they had gotten here, miraculously with Shane there on his own free will, was a mystery to Rainier. However, she felt so, so grateful that he was. In two days of hanging out together on the farm Shane had more than halved the amount of time she usually had to spend on tasks. The pair got along more than she could’ve known, all of their interactions before were so forced and Shane didn’t want to talk.

“It’s actually going really well,” he cleared his throat, “I guess.”

Rainier smiled, eyes still on the tomatoes, “I’m so glad.”

Shane would never admit it to Rainier, but she was fun to hang out with. After coming to the farm to apologize for the day on the cliff, he found himself wandering that way again when he was done working on Thursday. Rainier never made him talk, and he liked that. They could just do farm chores and hang out, and as far as Shane was concerned, at least that was time he wasn’t at the Saloon. He was exhausted of course, working all day at Joja and then coming out to do farm work until it was dark had him beat even after only two days, but he liked it. And that was good. 

“Thanks for coming out on a Friday,” Rainier sighed as she brought her tired arms down from where they were pruning the tomato plants, “I never would have finished this if you hadn’t helped.”

“No problem.” Shane replied, wiping his hands against his pants. “What’s next?”

Rainier chuckled a little as she started cleaning up the tools where they were working. “Nothing, it’s Friday! You’ve checked every box on my to-do list.”

“Really?” Shane asked, trying to hide the disappointment in his tone.

“Mhm,” Rainier hummed, heading for the exit of the greenhouse. Shane followed, a familiar feeling creeping up as he realized that he would have to find something to do with his time then. The Saloon came to mind immediately, and he was grateful to have his thoughts interrupted by Rainier continuing, “Any plans? Hot dates? It’s a Friday and you are much cooler than, so I assume you must have something going on.” 

Shane shook his head as they stepped out into the slightly chilly evening air, chuckling, “Where’d you get that idea?”

Rainier shrugged, “You’re a cool dude, Shane.”

Shane didn’t know what to say to that, but appreciated it. As they meandered back to the farmhouse he watched the animals retreating into their barns, the sun going down beyond the trees. The silence wasn’t uncomfortable, and Shane plopped down on the edge of the porch as Rainier walked out into the fields to double check for tools that might’ve been left out. 

“Well,” Rainier drawled, almost sing-song like, “If you’re not busy, you could stay for dinner. I make a mean salad.”

It didn’t need to be said, but both knew that it was best if Shane didn’t go home quite yet. While he hadn’t mentioned it directly, Rainier figured that some kind of sobriety was implied, especially with all of Shane’s newfound free time in the evening when he usually would’ve been down at the Saloon. Shane made a gagging sound, “Salad, really, Rain?”

“What?” Rainier defended herself, laughing as she walked back up the rows to the house, “I’m a farmer! Of course I love vegetables.”

Shane rolled his eyes, but later, as they sat cross legged on the ground outside the house as the sun went down, he didn’t complain once about the salad. Actually, it was damn good.

—

**Rainier** : What time do you think you’ll be coming by?

Harvey hadn’t gotten a text from Rainier before. It was almost three in the afternoon on Saturday, and Harvey cursed as he realized that he got distracted with work, as usual. Before he could talk himself out of it and get tangled up again, Harvey fired off a text back.

**Harvey** : Now?

Rainier answered quickly.

**Rainier** : See you soon. :)

True to his word, Harvey grabbed his things and headed for the door. The walk to Rainier’s farm was unfamiliar, Harvey realized. Fortunately it was a straight shot from town, so he wasn’t worried about getting lost. The old town bus had been out of commission for ages, and that was the only other thing out this way. The trees seemed bigger and more lush than they were in town, which couldn’t be right, but Harvey swore they must be. It was beautiful, Harvey thought as he approached the entrance. A wooden sign cut into the shape of a waning crescent moon was hung on a post, a bed of wildflowers growing all around it, almost as if they were trying to consume it. 

Soon the farmhouse, which looked much nicer and newer than Harvey remembered, came into view, and Rainier was sitting on the porch, a pair of headphones covering her ears and a basket of spring onions in front of her. Harvey watched as her hands separated the green sprigs into bundles and quickly wrapped a rubber band around them before tossing them into the basket of finished ones. There was still some ways to go before Harvey would be close enough to get her attention, so he just watched as she tied bundle after bundle, the process almost meditative. Just as he passed her mailbox, Rainier looked up, the last few spring onions in her hands almost getting dropped as she jumped. 

Tying them off, Rainier quickly pulled her headphones off and stood up, smiling widely, “Hello!”

“Hey,” Harvey smiled back, feeling a little shy, “How are you?”

Rainier had a healthy glow to her that Harvey always noticed, but was particularly evident after a few weeks of working in the sun again after the winter. “I am good! How are you? I thought you might’ve forgotten about me.”

Harvey chuckled, shifting where he stood, some of the lingering shyness dissolving, “I promise I am not always a flake.”

Rainier chuckled back, grabbing her basket of onions and walking around Harvey to the shipping container, where she gently set them inside before shutting the lid. “I know you are busy, I just like to tease you.”

Any amount of shyness that was left was gone, Rainier really had a way of making people feel comfortable wherever they were. “I am good though, this is a nice change of scenery compared to the clinic.”

Rainier smiled at that, looking around the farm nervously, realizing this was the first time she was really giving a tour, before asking, “So, shall we?”

“I can’t remember the last time I was out here,” Harvey spoke as he looked around, trying to take it all in, “But I’m fairly positive it was not this nice.” 

Rainier felt herself flushing and hoped that it wasn’t noticeable, “It’s a work in progress. I have so much I want to do, it takes time though.”

Harvey looked closer at the fields organized into the neat rows and sections. It made him wonder what her system was, how she divided things up, how she knew how much to grow of each crop, how the timing worked, but he didn’t ask any of those things in an attempt not to embarrass himself. The crops looked young in the way the rest of vegetation did during the spring, the green a little brighter and some of the leaves still a little softer, not quite yet unfurled and set. The coop and barn were further into the farm, the details of the buildings not as clear from where they stood. Harvey hadn’t remembered it being so big. 

“This,” Harvey started, having to close his eyes for a second to stop himself from trying to look at everything, bringing his attention back to Rainier after reopening them, “Is just, it’s an incredible undertaking. I had no idea you were operating at this scale.” 

Harvey could hear a cow moo in the distance, their white and black spots visible from where they grazed in the tall grass fields that laid out before their barn, some of the chickens disappearing beneath the growth that spring had brought, the nourishing conditions making it lusher than usual. Rainier knew she was blushing now, sliding her hands into her pockets, she used the space to stretch her arms, pushing against the fabric as she lifted her shoulders up and rolled them a little, “My grandpa did all the hard work here really. I just cleaned it up.” 

Harvey shook his head as he inspected the green house, the gleaming glass structure that he knew for-sure was not there before, and the beautiful stones that were placed to line the path leading up to it, “This is not just cleaned up,” he breathed, “This is amazing, Rainier.” 

“Thank you.” Rainier smiled, watching Harvey as he began to look around again, now allowing himself to walk a little further, but staying cautiously far from the open pasture animals. Noticing a shed, Harvey asked, “What is in there?”

Rainier followed his line of sight and smiled, “You’ll like this, that’s where I keep the kegs.”

They both began walking towards it, Harvey once again surprised by how big the farm was, realizing it would take them a minute to actually walk over there. “I don’t have a lot of space right now, I’ll have to get Robin to build me a bigger shed than this old one.” Rainier explained, “It started as an experiment really, I was just curious if I could make something slightly edible. I ended up really enjoying the process, and it doesn’t taste half bad, but I can’t take credit for that. They’re just good grapes.”

Harvey realized this was the most he had ever heard her talk about what she did, her eyes were lit up and she used her hands more while she spoke. It was charming to watch her be so humble, but he wondered if she really knew how impressive it was that she did this herself.

“Not just half bad,” Harvey joked, “Can confirm it is actually very good. One may even argue great.” 

Rainier chuckled as she grabbed the handles of the shed, “Thank you.” 

The kegs were larger than Harvey expected, once again realizing the volume that Rainier was working with. Harvey had just assumed she made small batches of everything, a few jars of pickles here and a couple of bottles of wine there. Not just wanting to gawk, Harvey sputtered, “What do you do with all of this? I mean this must yield a lot of product?” 

Rainier laughed, unable to help it after watching Harvey’s face contort with thought as he took it all in. “I sell it, Harvey.”

Harvey’s cheeks went pink, nodding as he clarified, “Yes, of course, but I suppose I mean, how much— how do you, where does it— I—” defeated, Harvey stopped trying to ask questions, instead dead panned at her, hoping she would fill him in. 

Rainier tried not to laugh as she explained, his cuteness making it easier to ignore the part of her that wanted to dismiss her accomplishments. “It is definitely a lot, I think I ended up biting off a bit more than I could chew, I just wanted to get everything started when I got here. It just didn’t quite click for me that if I planted fields that big, I would then have to harvest that much produce, oh— and then winter was so slow, I started a bunch of wine, not really remembering it would all have to be bottled.  _ Yoba _ , speaking of, I have to do that soon.”

Harvey was enthralled, crossing his arms over his chest as he listened, his head cocked just slightly to the side. “Now that things are starting to run themselves, and profit is coming back in, I’m thinking about hiring a farmhand to help maintain it all and grow, you know? I think, I don’t know, is that crazy? I mean I think part of me thought this wouldn’t work out, like I was waiting for it to fail? It’s happening though, it’s made the most sense this whole time, and I’m excited, there is so much I want to do. I want to plant an orchard next, all kinds of fruit. I’m going to do a big pumpkin patch next fall, that way people can come pick their own pumpkins. Maybe I could even do apple cider— oh!” Rainier felt herself going off on a tangent and felt a familiar embarrassment, her shyness reminding her to reign it in, taking a deep breath, “I just can’t believe I found something I love doing. I really love doing it.”

Harvey couldn’t disguise the fondness on his face, and Rainier sighed, worried she over spoke but tried not to overthink it, “And that’s the dream, right? Loving what you do.” Rainier’s eyes were focused on anything but Harvey, so he continued to look right at her as he nodded, “Yeah. Yeah it is.”

“Yoba,” he added, tone lifting a bit from the reflective place they both settled, “You must always be busy.”

Rainier shut the doors of the shed as she replied, “I think I like it that way.”

Harvey followed as she started walking back towards the entrance of the farm, “I used to be just like that.”

This made Rainier turn from where she was a few steps ahead of him, “Yeah?”

Harvey nodded, his hands sliding into the pockets of his pants. “When I was first starting out as a doctor I worked in the ER. I loved it, I loved the nonstop pace. I can’t even really tell you what my apartment looked like then,” he laughed, one hand coming out of his pocket to rub at the back of his neck, unsure why he felt drawn to tell her so much right now, maybe it was because she extended the intimacy first, or maybe it was because he just felt like he could say anything to her.

“Why’d you stop?” Rainier asked, her arms now crossed over her chest as she listened, head cocked in the same way Harvey’s did when he listened. 

Harvey looked beyond Rainier at the trees, almost shrugging but stopping himself, “It wasn’t sustainable. I wanted more for my own life than that; I just realized that work couldn’t be my whole life.”

Silence fell over them. Rainier really thought about what he said, a contemplative look on her face, and her lips parting a few times as she considered saying something, but realized there was nothing to say, until she asked, “What else do you do now, other than work?”

Harvey was glad that she started walking again, this time down a row of lettuce, headed to the southernmost part of the farm. The question perplexed him, and more accurately, called him out, because frankly, he didn’t know what he did. 

“Checkmate.” Harvey conceded, laughing a little louder than he usually did, something about the open air of the field encouraging him, “You got me there.”

“I didn’t mean to,” Rainier laughed from where she stood beside him, looking at him as she admitted, “To be honest, I don’t either. Was hoping maybe I could steal some of your ideas.”

This made Harvey laugh even louder, before sighing, “I’ll let you know when I figure it out,” he realized they were now standing in a field of flowers, beautiful rows of tulips, blue jazz, and varieties he didn’t even know the name of going far beyond where he could see from where they stood. Almost breathless from the view, he finished, “Only if you promise to let me know if you figure it out first.”

“Deal.” Rainier chuckled, her hands gently brushing over the tops of her bloomed flowers, the petals just barely tickling the skin of her palms. 

Harvey was beyond worry for embarrassment at this point, and he let his amazement show, “I didn’t know that you grew flowers.”

Rainier nodded, smiling at the bright colors, “It’s mostly for me,” she admitted, “They make me happy.”

Harvey turned his eyes from the blooms to her face, that was softer as she couldn’t help but inspect the growth while she was down here. “Pierre also likes that he doesn’t have to grow the flowers for the bouquets himself anymore.”

“Pierre is something else.” Harvey shook his head, and Rainier almost cackled, “Yeah, yeah he is.”

“I love flowers.” Harvey admitted, letting the tips of his fingers dance along some of the blooms in his reach, “Really?” Rainier asked, watching his hands hovering just above the flowers, the touch so gentle. Harvey hummed yes, and the two fell quiet. The silence wasn’t exactly silent this time of year, the sounds of the farm animals and different bugs in the trees filling the air between them. Standing up straight from where Rainier had started to bend over her flowers, fingers working to prune the stalks and pick weeds she spotted. 

“Sorry,” she breathed, “Bad habit.”

“Weeding on demand?” Harvey asked, chuckling to himself. Rainier shook her head at him, but couldn’t help the grin that emerged. It wasn’t often that Harvey cracked jokes. “Well, I would suggest we go visit the animals, but I saw you eyeing them cautiously earlier.”

Harvey’s cheeks warmed again, and he was grateful for the excuse of the sun, “You caught that?”

Rainier giggled to herself, eyes squinting as she carried on, “Yes, and don’t feel bad. I was the same way before I started working with them. They’ll be here though, you know, if you ever change your mind.”

The way Rainier navigated the world so genuinely amazed Harvey. Everything she said was kinder than he figured she must realize. Meandering, the two moved slowly as they walked back up to the farmhouse. “Was the house always like this?” Harvey asked. Rainier shook her head, laughing, “Oh Yoba, no. It was a shack before Robin renovated it.”

Harvey inspected the handiwork from afar as the two slowly walked back to the main path. To Harvey’s surprise, he found himself not wanting to leave; a rarity for social situations. As he wracked his mind for something else to say Rainier made a surprised sound, her pace quickening, “I have something for you!”

Before he could respond she had hopped up the steps of the farmhouse and disappeared behind the door. Looking around, Harvey admired the land one more time. “It’s beautiful out here,” he breathed aloud to himself, then thinking silently,  _ “I get why she loves this.” _

Never one to move slowly, Rainier was already running back out of the house, a bottle of wine in each hand. Harvey was facing away from her, his eyes out to the field, his hands on his hips. The sight made Rainier smile; it was nice to have people on the farm. A few steps closer and Harvey noticed the sound of boots against the ground, his body turning back to her, eyes immediately noticing the bottles in her hands. 

“I know it’s not five o’clock yet,” Rainier laughed, “But I want you to take these with you. I just bottled this yesterday, it’s from the batch that’s in the kegs right now.”

“Really?” Harvey asked, happily accepting the bottles from her grasp, their hands just barely brushing during the exchange. “Mhm,” Rainier smiled, the apples of her cheeks pushing against her eyes as she sarcastically joked, “Only like, 100 more bottles to go.”

Harvey inspected the bottles in his hands, the same crescent moon label smoothed across the dark green glass. “I don’t know how many more of these bottles of wine I can accept from you for free,” he chuckled, carefully shifting both bottles to one of his large hands as he used the other to dig in his pocket, looking for his wallet, “You’re too generous.”

Rainier waved a hand at him, shaking her head as she made a tsk sound, “No, no, it’s my pleasure.”

Harvey stopped digging for the wallet, his eyebrows going up, “Rainier—”

“Seriously, I’m happy to.” Rainier interrupted, settling the matter. Harvey sighed, saying, “Thank you,” and to his own surprise, offering, “I could help you bottle the rest, you know, if you wanted.”

Rainier’s eyebrows went up now, a look of surprise on her face. “Are you sure? Do you even have the time—”

Harvey took a turn interrupting her, “I have time if you have time.” 

—

Shane and Rainier were quite the team. They saw each other almost every day, mostly in the form of Shane coming by the farm to help out when he wasn’t working. Rainier was unbelievably happy for the extra hands, and at first Shane welcomed the distraction, but now he found himself really enjoying the work. Working with his hands like this was satisfying, much more satisfying than stocking shelves at Joja Mart. Some of the first seeds he planted just a week ago were already growing, and he couldn’t believe that was something  _ he  _ did. He grew it. 

“A little bird told me it’s your birthday this weekend.” Rainier grinned from a few rows away. They were out in the field cultivating the soil to prevent weeds, and Shane didn’t look up to acknowledge that statement, instead he just grumbled. 

“Any plans?” Rainier pried, carefully stepping over a row of kale to start working there. Shane shook his head, “No, there’s nothing to do in this town anyway.”

Rainier rolled her eyes, comfortable enough with him now to be more frank, “Yes there is.”

Shane picked up one of the beans that had fallen from the vines and chucked it at Rainier, who quickly ducked out of dodge, laughing as she almost tripped over her hoe. Unable to help himself, Shane laughed too, rolling his eyes as he said, “Yeah, I mean I know there is stuff to do. I guess I just don’t want to do it.”

A loud groan left his chest and his head fell back, “Ugh, I sound like my therapist.”

Rainier smiled, picking up the bean that he had thrown and popping it into her mouth. Knowing that he didn’t have a plan already had the gears turning for what she could do to make the day special, but she kept that to herself as they finished cultivating the last rows. 

“What’re your weekend plans?” Shane asked, eyes on the ground as he moved the soil around. 

She made an uncertain sound, “Nothing too exciting,” before clicking her tongue as she remembered, “Oh! Dr. Harvey is coming to help me bottle the rest of that damn wine on Friday.”

Shane looked up at this, raising his brow, “Dr. Harvey?”

Rainier nodded and chuckled, “Yeah, he offered when he came by the other day.”

“Interesting.” Shane nodded, and Rainier could tell there was something else he wasn’t saying. “What?” She groaned, wondering what he was thinking. Shane laughed, “Nothing, Rain. Just interesting.”

“Shane,” she whined, hating being out of the loop, and he smirked as he said, “I just thought it was interesting, since you and doc have, you know, history.”

Rainier’s face flushed so fast she thought she might be light headed, her stomach dropping and her throat tightening as she tried to swallow. “What do you mean?” she asked, trying not to sound nervous, even though she urgently wanted to ask,  _ “How did you know?” _ . It had been so long that sometimes Rainier forgot about her little crush and being rejected.

Shane had the same knowing smirk on his face as he explained, “I was standing outside the Saloon having a cig one night, saw the two of you run out and talk.”

The heat in her face had spread all over her body at this point, and she continued to listen, “You seemed pretty upset and he seemed pretty,” he paused to look for the word, “Uninterested?”

Rainier took a deep breath and let it out in a huff, “That’s so embarrassing.”

“Not embarrassing,” Shane shrugged, “Just interesting.” 

Rainier wished she had a bean to throw at him now, but headed up the row back to the tool shed instead, groaning the whole way there. Shane laughed at the sound, bumping shoulders with her as they hung their tools up on the hooks before shutting the door. 

“So I assume you two are good then?” he asked, grabbing his water bottle off the porch while Rainier leaned against one of the posts. “Yeah,” she sighed, “I mean, I think so. I’m over it, it’s just embarrassing. I had a stupid crush and got turned down, in  _ apparently _ ,” she threw a pointed look to Shane, who was trying not to laugh into his water bottle, “a very public way.” 

Shane sat down on the edge of the porch and decided he might as well also ask, “Weren’t you with Sebastian?”

This didn’t embarrass Rainier as much, but it did make her grumble, “This town is so fucking small.” Shane chuckled, “Might want to get used to that.”

Rainier slid her hands into her overalls, “We weren’t together, we were just,” she moved her hands vaguely, and Shane cocked his head to the side, provoking her to kick the ground where she stood, sending a bit of dirt flying to hit Shane’s legs, “We were just having sex, Shane.” 

Shane was already cackling, letting himself fall back against the wood as he wrapped his arms around his middle. “I’m glad someone finds it funny.” Rainier rolled her eyes, taking a seat next to him and punching his thigh as she laid back against the wood too. The two stared up at the roof covering the porch and sighed. 

“Does everyone around town know?” Rainier asked, knowing it wouldn’t actually change anything if they did, but needing to ask. Shane shook his head, “About Harvey? Nah. Sebastian? Yeah, everyone knows but no one cares.”

Turning her head, Rainier looked at Shane, who turned his head to meet her gaze. 

“Thanks for being my friend.” she said, meaning it. Shane wanted to say something smart, or tell her to stop being so cheesy, but he didn’t. Instead he smiled, “Anytime, Rain.” 

—

Unsurprisingly, Harvey wrapped up at the clinic a little later than he would’ve preferred. The sun was already setting as he locked the door behind himself and started the walk out to the farm. It was a busy week, not more busy than usual, but busy nonetheless. He had been looking forward to going back out to the farm since Saturday, but now that he was walking, he felt a little nervous. Rainier made him nervous. 

Now that he thought about it, he wasn’t sure what bottling wine entailed, so it was rich of him to offer to help with it in the first place. As he passed the entrance he could see Rainier balancing two boxes in her arms, the weight of them threatening to tip her over. Carefully setting them on the ground in front of the kegs, Rainier took a deep breath, her hands coming to rest on her hips as she caught her breath. That was the last case of empty wine bottles, thank Yoba. Feeling the shaking in her arms, she remembered why she had put this task off for so long. 

It was getting late, but Rainier figured Harvey would be there any moment. Turning to go peek at the gate and see if he was coming, Rainier shrieked when she found Harvey standing just a few feet away from her, his hands in his pockets. Harvey tried not to laugh as her hands came to her chest, his own hands coming out of his pockets to show he meant no harm, “Sorry to scare you,” he chuckled, “I seem to do that a lot.”

Rainier caught her breath and smiled, shaking her head as she said, “I just scare easily.”

Looking at all of the crates of wine bottles at their feet, Harvey said, “Wow, this is a lot.” Rainier nodded, chuckling, “Sure you still want to help? Not too late to turn around.”

“Nope,” Harvey bent at the waist to pull one of the bottles out and rotate it in his hands, “I’m reporting for duty. Cannot promise I will be any good at it though.”

“I’m sure you’ll do just fine.” Rainier assured him before giving a crash course and sitting down to get started. The first few bottles were a mess, Harvey was not prepared for just how fast the wine would come out of the spout as he turned the knob. Wine splattered all over the floor, making Rainier laugh harder than he had ever seen her laugh, and making him go bright red with embarrassment. 

“Don’t worry about it,” Rainier said through her laughter, and slowly he got the hang of it. The two sat side by side in front of the kegs, chatting between themselves while they worked their way through case after case of empty bottles. 

“What kind of wine is this?” Harvey asked. The keg he was working on was red, but Rainier’s was white. Rainier finished gently malleting a cork into the bottle she was working on, setting it aside in a crate to be sanitized with the rest of the finished product. 

“This,” she gestured to her keg, “Is starfruit chardonnay.” 

Harvey tilted his head curiously, he had never had starfruit wine before. “And that is a blueberry zinfandel.” 

Truly interested, Harvey asked, “Where did you learn to do this?”

Rainier laughed a little, standing up from her worn wooden stool, “Admittedly, I kind of just winged it. I skimmed a few books and hoped for the best.” 

“I’ll be right back,” she said, before Harvey could respond. Rainier returned after he finished filling a few more bottles, her hands full. 

“Here,” Harvey stood, taking the plate from her hand that was also precariously holding two glasses and a carafe of water. “Thank you,” Rainier breathed, carefully setting the glasses on the ground between their work space, “It’s getting dark, let me flip the lights on.”

Harvey was going to ask,  _ “Lights?” _ but before he could, Rainier flipped a switch on the side of the shed, illuminating a few strands of lights that ran neatly above the roof. Without being on, he hadn’t even noticed that they were there, the black strands blended in with the leafy branches that hung low above the structure. Rainier could see the little dots of light reflecting in Harvey’s glasses, and she explained as he stared up at them, “I got sick of working with a flashlight.” 

Rainier returned to her stool and Harvey followed, his eyes now on the goods she brought out with her. The plate was full of cheese, cured meats, crackers, and some sliced vegetables. “I threw something together, figured you might be getting hungry,” Rainier grabbed a piece of cheese and chuckled, “And the least I can do is feed the free help.” It was much more beautiful than anything Harvey ever just  _ threw together  _ and he was wary to eat anything off the plate in fear of ruining it. 

“ _ And _ ,” Rainier drawled happily, picking up a glass and placing it beneath the spout to fill with starfruit wine, “It is Friday after all.”

Harvey accepted the glass, “I’ve never had starfruit wine before,” he brought the glass to his lips, taking a deep breath as he tilted back just enough to get a taste. After one, he quickly took another, this time much more generous, “Rainier,” he looked at the glass in his hand incredulously, and then up to her, “This is amazing.”

Rainier had a glass of the zinfandel in her hand, her cheeks high as she beamed. “Really?”

“Yes, really,” Harvey said into the glass as he took another sip before setting it down carefully at his feet, exchanging it for another empty bottle. Rainier watched Harvey do a few bottles, admittedly longer than she meant to, as she munched on the snacks and drank her wine. As she came to the end of her glass, her cheeks flushed, realizing that she had gotten so distracted. Harvey hadn’t noticed her gaze, he was too focused. His hands moved with such intention now that he knew what he was doing. All of his movements were so careful and calculated. 

“You’d think this was your job,” Rainier complimented him, laughing, “Might be able to put me out of business.”

This made Harvey laugh, and he paused to down the last of his drink. “I wouldn’t dare try to do your job.”

Rainier gently pulled the glass from his hand and refilled it with the variety he hadn’t tried yet, warming Harvey with the gesture. He accepted the glass with gratitude and got back to work, both of them pausing to sip between bottles. It was completely dark now, they must’ve been at it for a few hours, the creatures in the woods started their evening sounds and chirps. 

“I think that’s the last of it,” Rainier sighed, the bottle she was working on not quite full yet, the spout slowing down to just a drip. Harvey’s focused look broke, his keg coming to an end too, “Huh,” he remarked, “That went faster than I thought it would.”

An incredulous sound came out of Rainier as she looked over her shoulder to the many full crates of freshly bottled wine stacked precariously to the side, “I’m glad it wasn’t too painful.”

“Not at all,” Harvey’s voice was low and smooth, like it always was after a few glasses of wine. Sighing, Rainier moved to stand up from her stool, the palms of her hands pressing against her thighs as she did, “I can’t thank you enough,” she looked again at the crates, admitting, “This would’ve taken me ages without your help.” 

Harvey smiled while standing up as well, not sure how to help as Rainier started tidying up the space around them, tripping over her own feet and tipsily laughing to herself as she almost fell. Now that he was standing too, Harvey realized he had a little more to drink than he thought he did, and a light chuckle left his chest. “What time is it?” he asked, not feeling tired yet at all. 

“I’m not sure,” Rainier hummed bent at the waist as she picked up the dishes they had been eating off of in one hand, and the partially filled bottle of wine in the other, “But I’m going to the beach.”

“The beach? It’s so dark out,” Harvey asked while watching Rainier shut the shed doors. “Mhm,” Rainier responded, setting the empty plate and glasses down on the porch for later, “Doesn’t that sound nice? It’s beautiful out.”

Harvey looked up at the clear sky, the endless abyss a dark blue tonight, a few bright white stars twinkling in the distance, “It is,” he agreed, looking back down to see Rainier reaching up to flip the lights off. 

“I will escort you back to town,” she said theatrically, bowing in his direction and laughing to herself, “Wouldn’t want you getting lost in the dark.”

Harvey surprised himself when he played along, gasping like a damsel in distress, delicately placing a hand on his chest, “Oh, would you be so kind?”

Rainier’s cheeks were pink, partially from the laughter but mostly from the wine, “C’mon,” she gestured at the last bottle of wine on the ground, which Harvey happily took the hint and picked up, “Want to head south?”

Harvey only nodded, because frankly he would go anywhere she wanted to go right now. The two carefully, but a little stumbely, walked through the farm to the southern exit, each swinging a bottle of wine in hand. Neither spoke for the first part of the walk, instead they listened to the sound of their footfalls against the dirt, eyes wandering as they walked along the wooded river. 

“What’re you up to the rest of the weekend?” Rainier asked, tipping her head back to take a long sip while she waited for a response. Harvey’s eyes were on his feet, paying special attention to what he could see in the dark, hoping that he would be able to avoid tripping on any stones or branches, “Oh,” he sighed, tone a little spent, “The usual.”

Rainier looked at him even though it was too dark to see each other well, “What’s the usual?”

Harvey made a sound around the lip of the wine bottle, carefully tipping the bottle back, keeping suction with his lips until it was safe to pull away without spilling any of the burgundy liquid. “Working, mostly. Then not being able to think of anything I want to do with my free time, so working some more.” Rainier hummed, understanding. The soft ground had transitioned to stone pavers as they passed over into town, not a light to be found in any of the windows they passed, reminding both of them how late it was. Rainier realized that it was time to part ways, but to her surprise, Harvey had made no moves to stray from the path to the beach. 

“What about you?” he asked, thinking that he should turn to walk up the square back to the clinic, but his feet continued toward the beach. “I’m sure you have plans,”

Rainier made a scoff sound, but it was light hearted, “Bold of you to assume I ever have plans.” This made Harvey laugh, and she continued, “But actually, tomorrow is Shane’s birthday. I think I’m going to do something small, maybe just bake a cake or something. He’s been an incredible help around the farm.”

It didn’t surprise him to hear that Rainier and Shane had become close friends, the town gossip mill had mentions of their time on the farm this past week. Memories of Shane blacked out on the cliffside flashed through Harvey’s head, and he asked, “How is he?” hoping not to appear too clinical or nosey. Rainier made a thoughtful sound as they walked over the bridge to the beach, “Really good. I haven’t known him for that long, so I can’t vouch for much, but I think he’s the best he’s ever been.”

“That’s good.” Harvey felt his lips turning into a smile, he had high hopes for Shane. Now on the beach, Harvey looked around, the few lights of the dock illuminating just enough to see each other. 

“Do you do this often? Go to the beach at night, I mean,” Harvey asked, never having journeyed down to the water at night other than for the Dance of the Moonlight Jellies and the Night Market. Rainier plopped herself down on the sand a few feet from the water, just far enough to be safe from the waves lapping at the shore. Harvey followed suit, drunk enough to not care about the sand filling his shoes. 

“Yeah,” Rainier’s eyes were on the water, wine bottle coming to her lips again before she continued, “It’s nice down here.”

Following her line of sight, he wondered if there was something out there that he couldn’t see, until he realized the point. There was nothing. It was nice. The waves were surprisingly quiet as they came in and out, following the pull of the moon that shone down onto the surface of the dark blue water. All the wine made his head spin a little, and he leaned into the feeling, letting himself relax. Rainier was using the tip of her pointer finger to trace small circles into the sand between them. Harvey watched, mesmerized by the movement of each microscopic grain. 

The sound of waves crashing against each other continued as the two sipped in silence, eyes wandering and hands close, but not touching in the sand. 

—

It was very early. Way too early for Shane to be hearing someone talking with Marnie in the other room. And  _ way  _ too early for his doorknob to be slowly getting turned. Shane stayed put in the bed, just barely peeking above the covers to watch as the door opened slower than molasses, a poor attempt to be sneaky. Jas appeared first, and Shane fought a smile and closed his eyes, wanting her to get the joy of thinking she actually surprised him. There was quiet shuffling for a few more moments, and then, loudly, a chorus of voices began singing to the tune of Happy Birthday. A loud popping sound followed and confetti rained down on him and his bed. To his surprise it was more than just Jas and Marnie, Rainier was there too, her hands holding a plate with a round cake and candles on it. Sitting up, Shane let Jas run and jump on top of him, a poorly wrapped gift getting shoved in his face. 

“I made this for  _ you _ ,” she proudly explained, her little fingers already trying to open the decorative paper for him. Marnie came next, setting a plate of his favorite pancakes on his nightstand, and bending just enough at the waist to place a kiss on the line where his hair met his forehead. “Happy Birthday, Shane,” she smiled, fighting the teariness in her eyes. She couldn’t help but be sentimental. For a while, she was really worried he wouldn’t make it to his next birthday. 

Rainier stepped up next, carefully maneuvering so the candles wouldn’t burn out and grinning from ear to ear, “Make a wish!”

Taking a deep breath, Jas interrupted him by slapping his chest, “You have to close your eyes or it won’t come true!” she insisted. Smiling, Shane closed his eyes, taking another deep breath and letting it out in one big puff, the fire from the candles immediately flickered out. Little tendrils of smoke had filled the air around him by the time he opened his eyes again. 

“What did you wish for?” Jas asked, eagerly dipping a finger into the frosting on the side of the cake and popping it into her mouth. “Wait!” she mumbled, “Don’t tell me! Then it won’t come true.”

Shane and Rainier laughed at this, and as Rainier took the cake back out the kitchen and Jas followed her, leaving Shane to eat his breakfast, he realized he didn’t have anything to wish for. This was much more than he ever wanted. Life was good. 

—

The Flower Dance was one of the stranger rituals of the valley. Most of the younger folks hated it, but the adults adored it, something deeply nostalgic for them about the dance. It was never surprising who would pair up, not that there were that many combinations to begin with. Regardless, every year, there was a whisper in the air about who everyone would dance with. This year was even more exciting, because the whole town got to speculate about Rainier. It was normal to sit out your first year, but surely, everyone figured, she would dance with someone this year. 

Even though everyone knew it meant very little who you danced with at the dance, they let themselves have the little bit of excitement. It was just fun, afterall. 

Rainier walked into the clearing that was only used for this dance, and just like last year, felt a little silly in her nicer clothes. By the end of spring she was in full farmer mode, and anything other than overalls or a plain t-shirt made her feel like she was overdressed. Noticing Shane, Rainier quickly headed in his direction. It looked like everyone was already down here which must mean the dance would start soon. It was Rainier’s hope that she could go unnoticed like she did last year, using the excuse of having no one to dance with for her lack of participation. Shane had a cup in his hand, and he looked less than thrilled to be standing in this hot, crowded field. 

“Ugh, finally,” Shane grumbled as he spotted her, his brow furrowed, “You’re here.”

Rainier laughed, joking, “What? Not having any fun?”

Shane rolled his eyes and gestured at the empty part of the field where the dance would be held with his drink, “I hate this.”

“Which part?” Rainier took a step to the side, grabbing herself a cup of the punch. Shane grumbled again, his head falling back a little, “All of it. Let’s ditch.”

“I wish,” Rainier sighed, taking a sip as she returned to his side, asking, “Who are you dancing with?” 

This made Shane look at her, his eyebrows up, “Who are  _ you  _ dancing with?”

Chuckling into her cup, Rainier mischievously answered, “No one. I’m playing the loner card.”

“Not fair.” Shane shook his head, looking around before looking back to her, “Just dance with me so I don’t have to do the whole charade.”

“Why not dance with Emily?” Rainier asked, knowing the two usually paired up since it was easy and Clint would never step up and ask her. Shane sighed, explaining, “Because she takes it seriously, and like, actually dances.” 

This made Rainier laugh, because Emily really could dance. With a very reluctant sigh, she agreed, “Okay.”

“You’re a lifesaver,” Shane actually sounded relieved, and when Mayor Lewis spoke into the megaphone that everyone hated, the two walked out to the field. The dance itself was pretty painless, Rainier was able to follow along without having done it before. Shane kept making funny faces at her, bored to death by all of it. Rainier tried to conceal her laugh, her face stuck in a stiff smile in fear that a chuckle would escape her. 

Harvey was terrible at not jumping to conclusions. It was one of his biggest flaws, really, and a surprising one considering his brain worked in hard facts and investigations. Standing to the side, Harvey suddenly felt silly while he watched Rainier and Shane dance together. Of all of the potential partners, no one in town had wagered that Shane would be the pick. It made sense, of course, the two had grown very close recently. Still, Harvey was surprised, and realized he misunderstood the friendship. The rim of his cup was resting on his lip as the dance wrapped up and everyone broke back off into small social groups. 

It wasn’t unusual for Harvey to stand to the side at these kinds of events, flying under the radar and mostly just observing the other town folks. So he did just that, glancing at his watch to see how long it would be until he had spent the appropriate amount of time and could head back to his apartment. As much as the Flower Dance was his least favorite town event, Harvey did enjoy watching everyone gathered together. Sam and Penny were sheepishly hanging around each other after the dance, both shy. Emily was still dancing to the music that was being played, even now that the dance was done. Clint stood nearby with a grin on his face, just happy to be near her. Kent and Jody were holding hands and watching Vincent run around with Jas. Demetrius was talking Leah’s ear off, about something science related and obscure surely, but Leah was happy to just be on his good side now. 

Eventually, his eyes drifted to Rainier. She was wearing a dress today, which was unusual for her. It wasn’t quite white like the rest of the dresses, it was almost blue, but from afar, it read as white. There were no embellishments, which was like Rainier. It was practically just a cotton slip, very little shape, but it flattered her. A small chuckle left his chest as he noticed her very sharp sock tan, only noticeable because she was wearing a pair of sandals. 

“Might not want to stare so hard,” someone spoke beside him, making Harvey jump, a little bit of the punch spilling out onto his hand. Looking, Harvey found Shane standing next to him, and he continued, “She’ll probably notice, and I assume you don’t want that.” 

Shane took a drawl of the can in his hand, “And no, before you ask, this isn't beer. It’s seltzer.” he took a look at the can in his hand, clicking his tongue, “And it’s actually really good,”

“Anyway,” he sighed, “She’s way cooler than you.”

Harvey swallowed thickly, his eyes falling to his feet, “Yeah.”

Shane took another sip of seltzer, eyes on the field, not Harvey, “And if you do something, and like, I mean anything, be super-fucking-sure that it’s what you want. She doesn’t need that back and forth shit.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wowza can y'all believe we are six chapters deep? Thank you so much for reading! I am continuously blow away by the nice comments. 
> 
> Let me know what you think, or what you're looking forward to. xx


	7. Chapter Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aaaand we're back!

Harvey gulped, suddenly feeling very hot under the collar of his shirt. With a deep breath he turned to Shane, “Is it that obvious?”

Shane almost cackled at this, his eyes rolling as he took another sip from the can. “I mean, yeah, doc.”

The two men looked forward, a few beats of silence passing, the sound of the festivities carrying on around them. Shane watched Harvey use his middle finger to push the bridge of his glasses up his nose before downing the rest of his punch, the back of his hand coming up to wipe the droplets lingering on his mustache.

“So,” Shane began to ask, unable to help himself, “What’re you going to do?” 

Harvey took another deep breath, beyond embarrassed at this point, “I have no idea.”

“You want my advice?” Shane offered, realizing he enjoyed playing matchmaker more than he would like to admit. Harvey’s eyebrows went up, making eye contact with him again. Before he could respond, Shane took a step back towards where Rainier was standing with other town folks, vaguely advising, “Just be yourself.” 

Shane took another step, “I know that sounds cheesy, but just like, be you. Don’t worry so much about what you think others are thinking.”

His eyes sharpened again as he added, “And don’t fuck it up— and that’s coming from the guy who was like, the king of fucking things up.”

Walking away now, Harvey watched, his mouth parted but no words came out fast enough. “Wait—” 

Shane stopped, turning only enough to see him, “What?”

“Thank you.” Harvey said, meaning it, hand rubbing the back of his neck. 

Shane shrugged, the formings of a small smile on his lips. “Figured I owed you one.”

—

“Did you bring these flowers in?” Harvey asked Maru, carefully wrapping his hands around the glass vase and shifting it to a part of the desk that was less trafficked. Maru poked her head around the corner, glancing at the arrangement and humming, “No, you didn’t?”

“No,” Harvey responded, his tone curious as he inspected the blooms. It was a beautiful bunch of flowers, and they were definitely fresh. There wasn’t a note or anything, and just as Harvey was about to give up the mystery, he remembered his trip to the farm and the field of familiar flowers. He chuckled a little, realizing out loud, “Rainier.”

Patients commented on the beautiful flowers all day, and Harvey found himself glancing back at them every time he was at the front desk. Harvey realized in the years that he had been running the clinic, there had never been flowers in there. The color brightened up all of the white on white that was the clinical setting. 

The day came and went like many of them did, and Harvey found himself sitting at his desk, exhausted, only this time his eyes were on the flowers instead of the computer screen. Harvey hadn’t seen Rainier around town in days but he knew he wanted to thank her for such a thoughtful gift. A text seemed informal, going out to the farm seemed too bold, so Harvey grabbed an envelope and slip of stationary from the desk drawer. Looking at the blank page, he wondered what to write. 

“You’re being ridiculous,” he chastised out loud, “It’s just a letter.”

Huffing, he brought his pen down and wrote her name. Now that he was looking at it, his handwriting looked atrocious, the same chicken scratch he used on his chart notes and prescriptions. Crumpling the paper, he grabbed another, starting over. 

_“Rainier,”_ he wrote, trying with all of his might to keep the penmanship legible, _“Thank you for the beautiful flowers.”_

His pen hovered over the last period, and he considered ending it there. 

_“No one has ever given me flowers before.”_

It was true, but felt too intimate. Crumpling the page, he tossed it into the recycling bin. Again, he brought his pen down,

_“Rainier,_

_Thank you for the beautiful flowers. They brought many patients, and me, joy today._

_I’ll have to repay the kindness some time._

_Kindly,_

_Harvey”_

Satisfied, Harvey folded the card and slipped it into an envelope before he could convince himself not to. Rainier had been on his mind, especially after his run in with Shane at the flower dance. Selfishly, or perhaps wishfully, Harvey wondered if Rainier mentioned him to Shane. More accurately, he worried that it was really just that obvious that he was absolutely smitten with her, and the biggest fool in all of the valley. 

Memories of Rainier’s first few months in Pelican Town seemed so far away now. Harvey wondered if she was ever _actually_ interested in him. Or if she was just kind and he was awkward? Now, seasons later, Harvey wondered if he had a chance with her at all. Where would he even begin?

Sighing, he ran a hand through his loose curls and stood up, ready to call it a night and head up to his apartment. He turned the lock to the front door and flipped the lights off, answering his own question as he scaled the stairs, “I suppose the beginning.”

—

Rainier felt a little silly walking her flowers into town. It wasn’t so much the flowers but more the gesture itself. As spring came to a hot end, so did most of the more gentle varieties of blooms. The heat wasn’t kind to the thinner petals and lighter colors of spring, summer called for hardier varieties like sunflowers, spangles, and poppies. While flipping the flower beds and clearing out the growth from spring and replacing it with fresh soil, seeds, and bulbs, Rainier found herself with literal wheelbarrows of flowers that had nowhere to go. Of course some bouquets could go to markets in the city, but even then, there were a lot of flowers. Remembering that Harvey had stood in this field just a bit ago admiring them, that seemed like the perfect place to start. 

It started as a simple bouquet wrapped in brown paper, nothing too big. Things spiraled out of control from there, an extra stem here, a couple of green sprigs there, and before she knew it the paper was bursting and a vase arrangement seemed more appropriate. Arranging flowers felt like a fun, more simply joyful part of farming that Rainier didn’t often get to indulge in.

Peaking through the clinic window, Rainier quietly sighed with relief when she found that her timing was right, the lights were on, but neither Harvey or Maru was visible inside. Rainier loved giving gifts but this one made her feel shy, she worried it was too intimate to give Harvey flowers, after all, they only just started spending time together. As she set the vase on the counter as silently as she possibly could, she wondered if she was being awkward. Before she could second guess herself any more she turned on her heels and escaped out the front door, her heart pounding in her chest as she scurried back across the pavers of town to the path towards the farm, forgoing her other errands she planned to run while there. 

Realizing she was out of breath, she placed a hand on her chest. A blush had overtaken her cheeks, it wasn’t nearly warm enough yet this morning to blame the heat. Stopping where she stood, it dawned on her that she was still much more interested in Harvey than she let herself believe. 

“Oh no,” she breathed, heart pounding beneath her palm.

—

Rainier wasn’t proud of how quickly she tore into the small envelope she found in her mailbox the next day. There was the usual stuff, slips and checks from markets that sold her goods, but there was also an unexpected personal card. Flipping it over, she expected to see her mother’s familiar handwriting, but instead she found her name written in a script she didn’t recognize. Looking a little closer she noticed that Harvey’s name was printed in small text in the corner of the envelope, the clinic’s address beneath it, and she dropped it right on the ground. 

“Be cool,” she told herself as she bent over and shakily slipped her finger beneath the edge and slid it across the adhesive to tear it at the seam. Her eyes raced across the small passage like it was the most enticing thing she had ever read, and by the end her heart was fluttering in a way she didn’t quite understand. Hanging on to his every word, Rainier must have read it four times before pressing the card against her chest, with surely a silly, glazed over lovey look in her eyes. 

“It’s just a thank you note,” she explained to one of the chickens that had wandered over to where she was standing, their head cocking to the side after she spoke, as if to say, _“Is that so?”_

“Hush,” she responded as if this was an actual conversation, “Let’s go.”

By this time of year work on the farm moved in a predictable flow. Rainier woke up early to beat the heat, the most strenuous chores getting done just before and as the sun rose. The greenhouse was a hostile place by midday, so anything that needed to happen within its glass walls needed to happen early. Once the sun was high in the sky and beaming down on the fields, Rainier would don her sun hat and hope for the best. The sprinklers went off in the morning and by the afternoon the rows were notably humid as the water began to evaporate under the rays. Tendrils of steam would rise from the leaves, little droplets disappearing on the surface of the vegetables before her eyes.

Some days a break wasn’t in the cards. During the busiest growing season there was always something to do and it felt impossible to justify even taking a moment more than it took to scarf down a poor excuse of a lunch. The animals would get louder as the day winded down, feeling relief in their pastures. Rainier loved the late afternoon, just when it felt like she couldn’t take the heat anymore the sun would begin it’s slow descent to the west, casting varying degrees of shadows over the farm. It felt like she and the Sun had an agreement, as if it would never give her more than she could handle; even if some days it felt like it would never end, it always did.

As he did almost every day now, Shane came walking into the farm, ready to work without much instruction. Rainier still couldn’t comprehend how she got so lucky to have his extra set of hands, she would’ve been drowning without him. It seemed like every day something needed to be harvested and something else needed to be planted. Cultivating the fields was an endless task that never seemed to finish, and Rainier was absolutely beat. Yet every day, after working a full day at Joja, Shane would come and work hard. 

Today though, Shane was grumpier than usual. Not that it bothered Rainier any, he was nothing but pleasant to her as of lately. Still, she wondered if something had happened to put him in such a poor mood. 

By the time evening had rolled around they both sat in the dirt, the dark soil cool beneath their legs compared to the hot air. There was more to be done, just like there would tomorrow, so they rested in silence, Shane’s brow furrowed.

“You alright?” Rainier asked, having finished taking a sip of water, and passing the bottle to him involuntarily. Shane accepted it, sighing before taking a drink himself. Rainier knew not to push with him, so she waited quietly, looking out at the sun that was finally starting to sink beneath the tree line, the cicadas beginning to sing with relief. In time, Shane leaned back from where he had hunched over himself, extending his legs out and leaning back on his elbows in the dirt, “Things are better.”

Nodding, Rainier listened, and Shane continued, gaze somewhere she couldn’t follow, “I just, I guess I still don’t feel like I have much direction. I figured that was part of the deal.”

“Like, if I did the work, everything would fall into place.” he elaborated, looking to Rainier for assurance that she was understanding. Rainier nodded again, not wanting to interrupt him with her musing. Shane gave a sad chuckle, his head falling back, extending his neck to expose the rise of his adam’s apple, “I just hate my fucking job.” 

Mimicking a position similar to his, Rainier leaned back, crossing her legs at the ankles and propping herself up on her hands, “Quit.”

Shane laughed at this, shaking his head, “I can’t just quit, Rain. I need the job.”

“Work with me.” she suggested, looking right at him, dead serious. 

Shane’s gaze snapped to her at this, his lips parted, “Work with you,” he clarified, sure he misheard her, “On the farm?” 

Rainier nodded again, smiling, “I mean, you already do the job. I desperately need a full-time farmhand, and I won’t find anyone nearly as good as you even if I tried.”

Getting excited, Rainier sat back up, crossing her legs beneath herself, “No pressure of course,” she laughed, winking at him.

Shane cracked a smile that was bigger than Rainier had ever seen for sure, “Oh I don’t know,” he joked, “You’d probably be a worse boss than the assholes at Joja.”

Rainier’s eyes rolled, feigning annoyance as she grabbed a handful of mulch and tossed it at him, “Hey!”

Shane was cackling now, moving to stand up and shake the dirt off his pants. The two bantered back and forth as they headed out of the fields and up to the house, the sun set beneath the trees now, the sky a hazy orange fading into the navy of the night. 

“Is that a yes?” Rainier asked as they put tools away in the shed.

Rolling his eyes, Shane smiled and pushed her shoulder, “That’s a hell yes, Rain.”

—

Maru was good company. Between the fast pace of the summer and Rainier unofficially avoiding the clinic, the two hadn’t seen each other since the end of spring. When Maru asked her to catch up at the Saloon, Rainier eagerly accepted, and was happy to chat for a few hours over drinks. This time of year Rainier didn’t go anywhere without a basket of excess produce she was trying to pawn off on the folks around town, and Maru couldn’t control her laughter as Rainier pulled an entire basket of tomatoes out from under her chair. 

“What?” Rainier asked, setting the basket on the table, “Do you not like tomatoes?”

Leah eagerly popped one of the sungolds into her mouth, grinning from ear to ear, happy to eat some of the spoils. Maru shook her head, taking her glasses off to wipe at her eyes as she caught her breath, “You’re just such a farmer.”

Gus had a familiar voice, and he sang out as he approached their table, “ _Oh_ _Rainier_!”

Before Rainier could turn around to see, his arm reached around her to place a flute of bubbling prosecco on the wooden table. 

“What’s this?” Rainier asked, neck craning to try and see Gus.

Gus smiled, one of his hands planted on the back of Rainier’s chair. Leaning forward, he answered quietly so only she could hear, “It’s from Dr. Harvey, he said, _“Thank you for the flowers.”_ ”

Rainier felt her face flush, and she was happy to not be completely facing Gus in that moment, because she knew he could read her like a book. Rainier smiled, heart rate high, “Thank you, Gus.”

Gus excused himself and went back behind the bar, and Rainier focused on the cascade of tiny bubbles dancing around the glass. Maru and Leah looked down at the drink and back up at her, curious, both of them eagerly asking at the same time, “Who’s that from?”

Rainier was terrible at lying, and had no idea where she would begin with an excuse, so she blurted, “It’s, uh, from Harvey.”

Maru nearly fell out of her seat, her eyes wide, “Dr. Harvey?”

Rainier nodded, grabbing the stem of the glass and bringing it to her lips, taking a small sip, the bubbles tickling her upper lip. 

“Why?” Maru followed up, unable to fight the need to analyze. Leah slapped her thigh beneath the table, urging her to play it cool. Rainier took a bigger sip, sighing as she decided to lay it all out, “I left flowers for him at the clinic, Gus said this was a thank you.”

“ _You_ left the flowers?” Maru asked, remembering the arrangement. Leah popped a few more tomatoes into her mouth, eager to hear more, as Maru emphasized, “You brought flowers for Dr. Harvey?”

Cheeks warm from embarrassment and alcohol, Rainier explained, “He said he liked them, and I had a bunch left over at the end of the season so I thought it would be nice.”

Looking at Leah, who only smiled, then back to Rainier, Maru fought a cheshire cat like grin, “Interesting.” 

Rainier hummed, and in a moment of feeling like she had friends she could actually talk about this with, she admitted, “I think I like him.”

This sent Maru over the edge, an actual squeal escaping her as she bounced up and down in her chair. Leah and Rainier looked around, worried that they had drawn the attention of others, fighting their own laughter as Maru continued to excitedly yell. As Rainier looked around, she saw Harvey at the bar, with a book in hand as usual. Her gaze lingered on him, for what couldn’t have been more than five seconds, but Maru noticed and her squealing only got louder, catching the attention of Harvey, who looked to Rainier. 

Making eye contact, Rainier froze for a moment, embarrassed to have been caught staring. Harvey brought a hand up to push his glasses up, then waved in her direction, a small smile on his face. Rainier gulped, knowing she should do something, _anything_ , but feeling like she had no idea what to do. Settling for the same gesture, Rainier waved back, then lifted the gifted drink in his direction, mouthing, _“Thank you.”_

Harvey smiled wider, and Rainier felt her entire stomach erupt with tingling butterflies. To her, and the rest of the table’s shock, Harvey winked at her before returning to his book. This made Maru go silent, her leg kicking Rainier beneath the table.

Rainier turned all the way back around in her chair, facing the two again, her lips parted with surprise, “Did he just wink at me?”

—

“He winked at you?” Shane asked, hands busy pulling peppers from their stalks. Rainier was a few rows over tending to the hops they were experimenting with this season, “I think so? Maru saw it too, but like, he may have just been blinking.”

Shane shook his head, unable to fight a laugh. “So I take it you have a crush then?”

“Crush seems so juvenile,” Rainier groaned, and Shane rolled his eyes, “Do you like him?”

Rainier brought the heels of her palms up to her eyes, pressing into the hollow there as she let out another loud groan, “Yes.”

Bringing her hands back down, exasperatedly letting them hit her sides, she sighed, “I don’t know what to do though, I don’t want to make it weird.” 

Shane thought he could just die, it was all _too_ easy. After all this was only his first attempt at matchmaking, but it seemed like these two would do most of the work for him. Putting his friend hat back on instead of scheming, he said, “You won’t, Rain. He’s obviously into you.”

“Really?” Rainier’s eyes got bigger, and Shane felt some colder part of himself thaw witnessing the hopefulness that was in her eyes. Nodding, Shane couldn’t help but smile, “Yes, I catch him staring at you all the time.”

“No way,” Rainier blushed, shaking her head, “When? No wait— don’t tell me.” Rainier sighed, a little frazzled, “What do I do?” 

Shane took a deep breath, ready to shine, “There’s a bonfire down at the beach this weekend.” 

“A bonfire?” Rainier hadn’t heard about this before. 

“Yes, there is one every summer, keep up.” Shane explained. Rainier rolled her eyes at him and threw a pointed look, silently asking, “ _Do you want my help or not?”_

The two both naturally shifted further down the field, continuing their work as they spoke, “You need to go and wear something,” he waved at her body with a general gesture, “Not covered in dirt.”

“Hey—” Rainier bit back, and Shane only laughed, “Then just ignore him.”

Rainier wanted to roll her eyes, “That’s so cliche.”

Shane made the same look as before, threatening to revoke his services, and Rainier raised her hands in surrender, “Sorry, sorry. Go on.”

“Guys like that, and Harvey will _definitely_ like that, I mean just look at him.” he chuckled and quickly added, “But, before you ignore him, touch his arm or some shit. It’ll drive him crazy.” 

Rainier was worried that maybe she should have been taking notes and nodded. “I feel like this is one of those over exaggerated rom-coms.” she joked, taking a deep breath, “Thank you, Shane.”

—

The air was much cooler as the sun went down. Rainier basked in this simple pleasure that summer offered as she took the walk from the farm to the beach. Humidity hung in the air and left a thin sheen on Rainier’s exposed skin. Tonight she wore a pair of linen shorts that rested high on her waist and thighs, the fabric forgiving in the warmth. Town quieted down at nightfall during every season, but summer left a little electricity in the air as people enjoyed the longer days. Rainier hadn’t heard about the bonfire before, and as she crossed onto the bridge that made sense, as it was only the younger adults standing in the sand. A single speaker rested on a washed up log playing some music low, and as Rainier took it all in she heard someone call for her over by the coolers scattered in the sand.

Ice cradled the cheap beer and booze that everyone brought, and Rainier smiled as she spotted Maru and Leah standing by a table, mixing a bowl of something colorful. “Rainier!” Maru smiled, “I’m so glad you came!”

Rainier wrapped an arm around the shorter woman’s shoulder, squeezing her into her side for a moment, “Hey, Maru,” she gave Leah’s arm a squeeze too, “Nice to see you, Leah.”

Leah extended a cup of the purplish concoction, “It’s my _magic punch_.”

Inspecting the drink and giving it a sniff, she laughed as she asked, “What’s in it?”

Leah brought a finger up to her lips, cheekily winking, “A lady never tells.”

Maru rolled her eyes, “A bunch of booze and juice, you’ll like it.”

The trio laughed together and Rainier took a deep breath, looking around the beach and taking in the sight of the main event. Alex stood proudly by, having assembled the large brush pile himself. Dry logs and branches were all stacked together in the shape of a teepee, far taller than Rainier expected. 

“Wow,” she admired out loud, “That’s huge.”

They both nodded, their cups to their lips, humming, “Mhm,”

Dusk had fallen and the last bits of sun were disappearing over the water, and chatter indicated that it was time to light the fire. Rainier glanced around the group again, anxious to see if Harvey was there yet.

“Who are you looking for?” Maru teased from the seat she had taken in the sand, her eyebrows waggling. Leah, already a little tipsy, answered in an exaggerated moan, “ _Dr. Harvey_!”

Rainier released her bottom lip that she had been gnawing on and scowled at the two, tipping back the rest of her drink. They continued to coo at her as she took a healthy step back now that Alex began ceremoniously pouring a _generous_ amount of gasoline around the fire. Ever cautious, Rainier watched from the side as Alex tossed a match onto the mound and sprinted back as the wood went up in brilliant flames, drenching the once dark space in bright orange light. Jaw dropped, Rainier watched the fire roar and crackle to life, the light reflecting on the cool, tempting water of the ocean. Everyone happily cheered and hollered while Alex gave a theatrical bow. 

Harvey watched the bonfire go up as he walked onto the beach, the heat coming off in waves even from where he stood. Scanning the beach, he saw that everyone was already there broken off in their usual clusters, some standing by and others sitting on towels. Rainier was standing a good 10 feet to the side and Harvey chuckled at the way she clutched her drink as she watched the fire engulf the dry brush and burn bright. 

Rainier was pulled out of her amazement by Maru and Leah’s renewed teasing, and she felt her breath catch as she spotted Harvey chatting with Elliot by the coolers. 

Maru shooed Rainier away with her hand, and Leah poured more of the magic punch into her cup. 

Harvey was tall, it was particularly obvious when he stood next to other people. His hair was shorter in the summer, and by the evening he had pushed the brown locks back off his forehead in an attempt to get some reprieve from the heat. The sleeves of his button up were cuffed up to his elbows, exposing his forearms that were crossed across his chest as he spoke, the veins of his hands prominent. Rainier wondered how his hands would feel in hers, if they were soft or calloused. She wanted to run her fingertips over the top, follow the lines of his veins and tendons. Shaking her head, she pulled herself out of her thoughts, deciding now was a good time, otherwise she would chicken out for sure. 

Harvey tried not to panic as he saw Rainier walking his way out of the corner of his eye. At first, he was sure she must be headed somewhere else, but now that Elliot had walked away there was no one else standing nearby. 

“Hey,” Rainier smiled, “I was hoping you’d be here.”

“Yeah?” Harvey asked, trying not to sound surprised. Rainier placed a hand on his forearm, giving it a quick, gentle squeeze before pulling back, her fingertips running along his arm hair as she did. Harvey found himself wishing her hand had lingered even just a moment longer, but the thought was short lived as Rainier continued walking the way she was headed, seemingly to the water. The interaction left Harvey a little breathless, and he felt his cheeks flush. 

Rainier was particularly breathtaking tonight. Maybe it was something about being on the beach surrounded by all the stars, or the way her hair was down brushing over her shoulders, or the glimpses of her figure that couldn’t usually be seen in her regular farm outfits of overalls and loose t-shirts. Harvey was more enthralled than he could ever remember being though.

A trail of footprints led into the darkness and if Harvey was bolder than he was, he imagined he would follow her. Harvey thought about what it would feel like to wrap his arms around her waist from behind, his face pressed into the hair at the base of her neck, the small of her back pressed into his abdomen. He wondered if her breath would change, if her hands would wrap around the hands he placed on her stomach. If she would relax into the hold, soften in his embrace. He was over here though, feet sinking into the sand, beer that he didn’t particularly like in hand. 

The fire crackled loudly, embers flying high into the air, seeming to disappear into the stars. As if he was a genie that only appeared when Harvey was thinking about Rainier, Shane was walking his way, briefly illuminated by the glow of the fire as he passed it, then fading into the shadows of it’s light. Harvey stood up straight, shifting in the sand and taking another sip. There was no greeting this time, Shane simply started, “Still staring, huh?”

It was Harvey’s turn to roll his eyes this time, even though he was sure he didn’t get the satisfaction of Shane seeing it since it was so dark. No longer too proud, he leveled with him, “I don’t know what to do.”

Shane was, of course, happy to yet again participate in the process, but had to tease him a little, “You know what I think?”

Harvey was going to tell him he hadn’t actually asked for any help yet, but figured it was better to not bite the hand that fed him. Shane clicked his tongue, not needing a response, “You gotta start making a move.”

Before Harvey could protest in fear, Shane continued, “Don’t panic, just like, let her know you’re interested. _Interested_ interested.” 

Despite the woozy feeling in his legs, Harvey knew it made sense, “Okay,”

Shane tipped back his seltzer, letting out a burp afterwards before continuing, “And that’s it. The connection you have will do the rest, blah blah.” he smiled.

Harvey was surprised, that was oddly heartfelt, “Really?”

“Yeah,” Shane laughed, “You’re graduating, doc. My work here is done.”

This made Harvey chuckle too, kicking the sand at their feet, and Shane was already making moves to disappear into the darkness from which he came, “Well, thank you, Shane.”

Shane raised his can of seltzer to him, preparing to disappear back into the darkness of the beach again, “Anytime, doc.”

A splash was accompanied by laughter over by the docks, and Harvey could only assume that meant someone had decided to jump in. Deciding to see what the commotion was, Harvey began walking that way, taking his time and looking up at the clear sky. Midsummer brought such heat but also the most incredible clear nights for looking at the stars.

Rainier watched Harvey from where she was seated on the dock, her legs crossed beneath herself, Sam backstroking in the water below. Harvey’s head was turned all the way up to the sky, the silhouette of his face outlined by the fire that burned in the distance. For a moment, she thought about walking over there. She thought about standing on her tiptoes to press her lips against his jawline, wrapping her arms around his middle and looking up at whatever he could see. A particularly big splash of water pulled her from her day dreaming, and she looked up to see that more people were in the water. Realizing it was only a matter of time before she got pulled in too, Rainier quickly stood and pattered back down the dock to safety. Just in time too, because as she reached the sand she could hear Maru calling after her. 

Looking back at the water, Rainier smiled. Everyone seemed so happy tonight, something naturally easy going about midsummer nights. Maru was beckoning her with her hands and Rainier laughed as she shook her head, jogging a bit further into the beach. 

Rainier’s laughter in the distance brought Harvey’s eyes back to earth, and he stopped where he stood, hands in his pockets, watching as she stopped jogging, walking the rest of the way to the fire. Everyone else had wandered to other parts of the beach, either down at the water or off in some dark sandy cove for some privacy, leaving the burning wood to shrink under the flames. Harvey began meandering that way himself, knowing this was a window if any. 

Rainier poured herself another cup of the purplish punch and took a seat a few feet from the fire, enjoying the dry heat it kicked off on her legs. Harvey made himself known as he emerged on the side of the fire opposite to her, “Hey.”

Eyes looking up from the fire, orange reflecting in her pupils, Rainier smiled, “Hey.”

“Mind if I join you?” Harvey asked, gesturing at the ground next to her. Rainier nodded, patting the sand with her hand. Her heart was beating faster while he sat down, a light thrumming on her skin just from being close to him. 

“How are you?” Rainier asked, shifting her legs to bring her knees up to her chest, arms wrapping around her shins. Harvey leaned back against his hands, crossed legs stretching out in front of himself, “I’m good,” he turned his head to the side to look at her, “How are you?” 

Already looking at him, Rainier responded, “Good, I’m good,” she shifted her gaze up to the stars, “It’s a beautiful night.”

Harvey hummed in agreement, head falling back to look up. Rainier noted the shift and looked back to him, swallowing thickly as she took him in. The fire reflected off the sweat on the bit of chest that was exposed. Her eyes trailed up his neck, lingering on his jawline, and yet again feeling drawn to press her lips there, perhaps even run her tongue across the skin, the salt of his sweat in her mouth. It felt wrong to think such lewd things while sitting right next to him, so Rainier turned her gaze back to the fire. 

“How’s the farm been? Hot, I presume?” Harvey’s voice cracked as he tilted his head back down and Rainier squeezed her linked hands a little tighter around herself.

Releasing a breathy laugh, Rainier nodded, “Yeah, very hot. It’s good though.”

Harvey nodded, looking as intently as he listened. Continuing, Rainier released her legs, opting to cross them beneath herself, shifting in the sand. “In exciting news though,” she happily announced, “Shane is now a full-time Celestial Farm employee.”

Eyes widening, Harvey sat up a bit, “No way, really?”

Rainier nodded, grinning ear to ear, “Yes, how crazy is that?” 

“Congratulations, Rainier. That’s exciting,” Harvey smiled, reaching his hand out to grip her lower thigh just above her knee. The touch was brief, and as badly as both of them wanted his hand to linger, he pulled back, leaning back in the sand again. 

Rainier knew she should say something else, but her mind was too scattered from his simple touch. Grabbing her drink from beside her, she took a long sip. Feeling less nervous than he thought he would, Harvey relaxed, taking a sip of his now lukewarm beer. Rainier shifted a little closer to him, he wouldn’t have noticed if he hadn’t been watching. It was subtle, perhaps not even intentional on her end, but their thighs almost touched now. Her eyes were still on the fire, chest rising and falling at an even pace. 

“I’ve been thinking about your chickens,” Harvey chuckled, and Rainier’s eyes lit up, “I’m not sure why I find them so intimidating.”

Rainier reciprocated the laugh, shifting even closer to him as she spoke, just out of excitement, “You’d be surprised how many people are scared of them. You should come see them in the morning or at the end of the day, they’re a little more docile then. Maybe you could even hold one.”

This made Harvey shake his head, a comical look of fear on his face, “I don’t know about holding them,” he laughed, “Perhaps we’ll start with,” he paused, looking for the safest bet, “Feeding them? From a distance?”

Soon conversation flowed easily between them, catching up on the intricacies of work and town gossip. For the first time in awhile, Harvey was actually talking about his work, not just referring to it in vague terms in fear that anything else would be uninteresting or go on too long. Rainier seemed genuinely interested in what he had to say, drawing circles in the sand with her fingertips as she listened, eyes traveling between him and the fire as they went back and forth. Harvey only looked at her though, and they were both aware that he was. The music was still playing, now closer to the docks where everyone was either swimming or sitting with their feet in the water. It was quieter over by the fire, but they could still hear the music as it transitioned to slower songs, the evening winding down. 

“It’s getting late,” Rainier sighed, not wanting this to end, but also feeling the effects of a long day wearing on her, “I think I’m going to head out.”

Equally tired and relieved to hear her offer, Harvey hummed in agreeance. Both standing, the two brushed the sand off their legs, an uncertain moment between them. Rainier wanted to ask him when she would see him again. That felt like too much. Instead she opted for a hug, stepping forward and wrapping her arms around his middle before she could second guess herself. Harvey stumbled back a step, surprised by the gesture, but quickly regained his footing and wrapped his arms around her waist. 

Already, Rainier knew that she was holding on longer than she should, but Harvey’s hands felt warm against her, even through the fabric of her shirt. If she wasn’t already trying to drag this on as long as she humanly could, his thumb began rubbing back and forth, firm but slow. Rainier melted into his hold, fitting well into the nook between his chest and arms. It was comfortable, and Rainier felt her pulse over her entire body, struggling to keep her breath even as her heart raced. Nuzzling a little closer, Harvey’s hand moved with her as she readjusted, this time a little further down her back. From here she could catch the light scent of whatever lingered of his cologne this late in the day and his laundry detergent, both so specifically Harvey. 

Harvey didn’t realize how much taller he was than Rainier until now, the top of her head resting just barely at the line of shoulders. The logical part of himself knew that this hug was longer than appropriate, and he surely knew rubbing the small of her back was far from appropriate, but she felt unreasonably good in his arms, and now that she was here, he didn’t feel so ready to leave after all. Rainier started to peel back first, not whole-heartedly committed to moving away, but not wanting it to be weird. Harvey’s hold didn’t loosen right away, but once he did his open palms traveled around her waist, almost all the way to the front of her hips before pulling back. A shiver wracked Rainier’s frame, and she hoped it wasn’t noticeable as they separated.

“Goodnight, Rainier,” Harvey said, signature small smile on his lips, hand coming up to adjust his glasses, “Hopefully I will see you soon.”

A little dazed by the embrace, Rainier didn’t manage to get anything out before he started walking through the darkness of the beach towards town. The fire was nearly burnt out now, and Rainier stared into the last of the hot embers. 

From the dock, Shane smiled into his cup, a funny, joyful part of himself rearing its head. There was something brilliant about watching someone fall in love, and for a moment, Shane could comprehend a feeling he never understood. 

—

Rainier woke up thinking about Harvey. A rose-tinted memory of the night before brought a bubbly feeling to her chest before her to-do list even crossed her mind. Then after going through the plan for the day, as she brushed her teeth, Rainier wondered when she would see him again. Not a coincidental run in, something more intentional.

As she blissfully made her way through her morning tasks, her mind continued to wander to Harvey. First, in the greenhouse where she thought about cooking for him, she could make him a fresh salad or a batch of fruit muffins and take them by the clinic. She was desperate for an excuse to see him again, wanting to confirm whether or not he was as interested as he seemed last night. Then, as she sheered one of her sheep, who was very relieved to be freed of the extra layers, she found herself rethinking his touch, the sensation almost still palpable on her skin. 

“Earth to Rain,” Shane’s voice interrupted. Snapping out of it, Rainier turned to him, humming, “Hm?”

Shane was closer now, a basket of eggs in his hand, “You’ve been on cloud nine all day.” 

Sliding her sheers into the front of her overalls, she cocked her head to the side, “What do you mean?”

Placing both hands beneath his chin and rolling his eyes upwards, Shane fluttered his eyelashes and took a lofty sigh, “ _Oh, Harvey,_ ” he teased her in a high pitched tone.

Rainier huffed at him, “I do not sound like that!”

Already laughing, he went to the other nest boxes to check for more eggs. Standing up from her wooden stool, Rainier grabbed her bag of wool and headed out the coop door, Shane close behind. Squinting against the sun, she couldn’t help but laugh too, “It’s pitiful, I can’t stop thinking about him.”

Jogging to keep up, Shane fell in pace beside her, pestering, “Whatcha gonna do?”

Opening the door to the farmhouse, Rainier shrugged, pulling her sunhat off while Shane shut the door behind himself. Rainier dug around in the fridge for something to make for lunch and Shane took a seat at the kitchen table, happy to take a break. 

“How do you feel about tofu?” Rainier asked, and Shane rolled his eyes at how easily she was distracted, “You know I will literally eat anything you make,” then asking, “When are you going to see him again?” 

Rainier clicked her tongue as she pulled an armful of ingredients out and shut the fridge with her foot. “No idea, guess next time we run into each other.” 

“Lame,” Shane groaned, “You’ve gotta take some _initiative_ , you know.” 

“Oh yeah?” Rainier laughed, amused by his insistence. 

Nodding, Shane kicked his boots off, knowing it drove Rainier crazy when he kept them on in the house, before elaborating, “You should go see him.”

Rainier started throwing some already chopped vegetables together for a quick salad. “Like,” she thought out loud, “Go to the clinic?”

“Uh huh, you’ve got the right idea,” Shane nodded as she caught on, “Not the clinic though.”

This made her pause, a confused look flashing through her face before it clicked and her eyes went wide, “His apartment?”

“Bingo.” He made finger guns in her direction. 

Rainier immediately started shaking her head, “I can’t go to his apartment,” and Shane immediately countered, “Why not? Just text him.”

Putting her knife down, she practically horrified, “I definitely can’t text him.”

Shane fought a laugh behind his pressed lips as Rainier continued to spiral, “What would I even say?”

They both knew she wasn’t being reasonable and Shane let himself laugh, making her brow furrow. 

“You must really like him.” Shane said, seriously. Rainier took a deep breath, nodding on the exhale, “I’m going to go to his apartment. I can do that,” she reassured herself, “I want to do that.”

Shane smiled as she set a bowl down in front of him at the table, “Atta girl.”

—

As usual, time ran away from Rainier. Summer was unrelenting on the farm, and even though the transition to fall was in sight, there was still so much to do. Shane pestered her every day about when she was going to see Harvey again, and every day she had a new, convenient excuse. Most of her was excited to see him again. Part of her was nervous. All of her wanted to be alone with him. None of that mattered when there was work to be done on the farm though. The sun was already setting on Friday, she and Shane had spent the whole day flipping beds for new crops, a process that really couldn’t be rushed any more than they already did. It was a familiar but repetitive process. On the last row of kale they were both beyond relieved, happy to no longer be bent over and crouching to transplant the plant starts into the freshly compost amended soil. 

“That was nuts,” Shane wiped his forehead with the back of his hand, another streak of dirt smearing across his already stained face. Rainier nodded, agreeing with a sigh, “Let’s never do that again, we’ll have to look over our crop plan. Space it out more.”

Making a humph sound as he rolled the wheelbarrow back to the shed, grabbing tools left on the ground as he went, “Agreed.”

Too tired to really tease her, Shane simply asked, “Did you text Harvey yet?”

Gathering up the buckets they used to spread compost and the now empty seed trays, Rainier shook her head, sighing, “No, not yet.”

A defeated sound escaped her as she grabbed the hose, rinsing the excess dirt off of everything. “Maybe I’ll go over tonight,” groaning, “I just feel nervous.”

Rainier finished up using the hose, carefully wrapping it back around the spout, “And what are your great weekend plans?”

Hands free, he came over to help grab the clean trays and buckets, “Nothing much, might take Jas to the beach tomorrow, she’s been bugging me about it all week.”

Rainier hummed, reaching above her head to reach the top shelf in the shed, “Maybe I’ll join you, I’ve been wanting to swim.”

Scanning the field to see if they missed anything before they closed everything up, Shane chuckled, “For your sake, I hope tonight goes well enough that you don’t.” 

Rainier rolled her eyes, turning the handle on the shed, “Very funny.”

—

Harvey was relieved for a slightly cooler evening. Work wrapped up for the week on Thursday, a treat that only summertime offered him as a doctor. He chose to spend the day inside, happy to catch up on laundry and some reading. On days this slow he felt particularly grateful that he transitioned to a small town private practice, not just for the time, but to be in such a different place in his life than he was not all that long ago. 

Once the sun wasn’t high in the sky, Harvey opened all the windows, enjoying the fresh air the light breeze brought in. Already, he could tell that summer was beginning to surrender to the flow of the seasons. More evenings had tolerable temperatures, and the days weren’t quite as scorching as they were even just a few weeks ago. A clear reminder of the constant passing of time, the thought made Harvey shiver a little. Setting his book down, he stretched his arms above his head, noticing his phone lighting up on the coffee table. Reaching for it, much to his surprise, there was a message from Rainier.

 **Rainier:** Feeling up to some company?

The warm water from the shower was a nice relief for sore muscles. Rainier rubbed her hands over her face beneath the spray, eyes pinched shut while she ran her hands up to her hair, running her fingers through the strands, facilitating the spread of water throughout. An involuntary moan escaped her as she leaned into the spray, her back stretching out with a few cracks. Slowly standing up straight again, she stood just far enough out of the spray to open her eyes again. The floor of the tub was speckled dirt as it washed from her skin, a familiar sight now. Grabbing the soap, she moved quickly through her hygiene routine, a wet hand blindly reaching out from behind to curtain to grab her toothbrush off the sink.

By the time she was drying off she was anxious to check her phone to see if Harvey had responded. A smile was stuck on her face as she twisted her towel around her hair, it was fun to feel this giddy about someone, to be on the cusp of something unknown but desired. There was pleasure in delight, and Rainier decided as she wiped the steam from her mirror, that she was going to lean into it. 

**Harvey:** From you? Always.

Rainier got dressed as fast as she could, deciding not to spend too much time worrying about what to wear, more so worried about getting to his place as fast as she could. As she stumbled out of her bedroom, pulling her shoes on as she went, she realized she shouldn’t show up empty handed. Looking around, she bit her lip as she dug through her cupboards, wondering if there was anything she could pull together. Her eyes drifted back to the clock on the stove and she yelped, realizing there wasn’t enough time. Settling on a crowd pleaser, she grabbed a bottle of wine, not bothering to lock the door behind herself as she mostly walked, but if someone had been watching they would’ve seen a few skips, to town. 

Harvey wasn’t nervous. Really. He thought he would be, more just assumed that it would be implied. After receiving Rainier’s text all he felt was excitement, maybe even anticipation. There were no expectations for what would happen, he just knew that any amount of time with her would be a pleasure that he would relish in. A sound he didn’t often hear made him sit up, footsteps on the staircase behind the clinic that led straight to his door. Most of the time he didn’t even use that exit, more often than not he needed to do something in the clinic anyway.

Rainier hesitated at his door, her knuckles up to tap the wood, but not quite touching yet. Behind the door she could hear Harvey walking her way, the open windows tipping him off to her presence. Even though it was probably unnecessary at that point, Rainier knocked softly anyway, the door opening just as she pulled her hand away. 

“Hey,” Harvey grinned at her, and she thought she might melt. He stood to the side, gesturing with his arm for her to come in. “Hi,” Rainier greeted as she stepped through the threshold, letting him close the door behind her before extending her arm, “This is for you.”

Accepting the bottle, Harvey started walking to the kitchen, “You’re always bearing gifts. Thank you, Rainier.”

Looking around, Rainier asked, “This wasn’t too last minute?”

Harvey had placed the wine on the counter and was coming back to where she stood in the living room, fingers tangled together in front of herself. “Not at all, I’m glad you reached out.”

Cheeks warming, she nodded, reminding herself not to be embarrassed. “I haven’t seen your place yet,” she rotated where she stood, taking it all in. It was a large studio apartment, and even though you could see everything from the door, the way he had his furniture laid out really broke it up. There wasn’t much on the walls, just a few big bookcases full of books and a couple framed photos by his desk. It was tidy, which made sense for Harvey. “I think this is actually the last place I haven’t seen in town.”

“Really?” Harvey asked, taking a seat on the couch. Rainier nodded, not moving to join him yet, instead inspecting what appeared to be a model airplane on the window sill. It was intricate, hundreds of tiny pieces assembled together. Harvey watched her wander, smiling at her unashamed curiosity as she asked, “How was your week?”

“Very good, I actually had the day off.” This pulled Rainier from where she had been distracted, coming to sit down on the couch with him, turning to face him on the cushion, one leg tucked beneath herself. “A day off? That’s great, what did you do?”

The way she was so ready to be excited for him made his chest flutter a little, and he responded, “I caught up on some chores and reading, it was nice.”

Rainier nodded, a smile still on her lips, “Also smells like you did some cooking.”

“Oh,” Harvey chuckled, looking over to the kitchen, “I made some tomato sauce.”

“Really?” Rainier would be lying if she said she wasn’t hungry. Eating completely fell off her radar when she rushed to get ready after work. “Homemade tomato sauce, I didn’t know you were such a chef.”

Standing up, Harvey sounded skeptical as his chuckle continued, “Don’t give me too much credit, it took me years to even get this simple recipe right.”

Realizing he was headed to the kitchen, Rainier got up and followed behind him. 

“Want to try it?” he asked, dipping a spoon into the pot to coat it before extending it to her. Rainier accepted, intentionally brushing her fingers against his as she took it from him, eyes on him as she said, “Thank you.” 

Harvey swallowed, bringing his eyes back to the sauce instead of watching Rainier lick the spoon clean, “Have you had dinner?”

The moan Rainier made around the spoon told him no, and he reached into the cupboard next to the stove to grab a smaller pot, asking, “Any objections to pasta?”

“Not if you put that sauce on it.” she leant her hip against the nearby counter and watched him move through the kitchen. Harvey’s cheeks were a little pink, she noticed, and wondered what else she could do to make him blush. 

“How was your week?” Harvey followed up while carefully moving the water from the sink to the stove and turning the burner on. 

“I can’t complain, really.” Rainier had an easy look on her face, peaceful, “It’s the busiest I’ve ever been but also the happiest. I’m grateful.” 

The authenticity of her response always took him back. It was refreshing to hear someone be so honest even when asked more mundane questions. As the water came to a boil they chatted back and forth about specifics of their week, the conversation eventually veering from the present, both curious about the other’s past. Questions about university and where they were raised came up, the pasta getting drained and put into simple ceramic bowls. 

“This is so good,” Rainier interrupted their conversation for a moment, after a few bites, the hand that held her fork coming up to cover her mouth as she inelegantly and eagerly spoke around her food. Harvey chuckled around his bite, cheeks flushing just a bit, the pink dusting beneath where the frame of his glasses rested on his cheeks. Rainier couldn’t have told you how much time had passed, or the last time someone had cooked a meal for her other than Gus, but their bowls were empty now, and she moved to stand, insisting that she do the dishes.

“I don’t have any siblings.” she responded as she walked to the sink, Harvey not far behind her.

“Mm,” Harvey listened, interested, “I have two, a brother and a sister.”

Flipping the faucet on, she asked, “What’re their names?”

Harvey watched Rainier grab the soap and sponge so naturally, as if she had done dishes at this sink many times before, “Robin and Nicholas.” 

Rainier hummed in acknowledgement, watching the suds wash from the white dish as she held it beneath the water. The water was hot, almost too hot against her hands, the skin already turning red. A dish towel had made its way to Harvey’s hand, and he grabbed the clean dishes from her without it having to be said. They completed the task quietly, just the sound of the sink running and dishes being placed back into the cupboards.

To Harvey’s very specific pleasure, Rainier rang the sponge out completely before setting it back on the edge of the sink. Rainier accepted the towel Harvey had been using to dry her own hands, and for a moment, Rainier felt her stomach flutter, wondering what they would do next. In moments of stillness she remembered how new this was. While they talked it felt familiar enough that they would forget that there was so much unknown between them. Harvey excused himself to use the restroom, and Rainier was slightly relieved for the chance to gather her thoughts. 

Outside the sun had begun to set, bathing the room in varying tints of orange and red. Harvey’s apartment was full of big, beautiful, wood framed windows. They had sheer white curtains hung over them, some drawn to cover the window completely, others pulled to the side to see out the glass pane. Just enough coverage to prevent the direct rays of sunlight from making the room too hot during the peak of the day and provide some element of privacy from the street below. Tonight they billowed in the light breeze. Rainier could feel the stronger gusts against her face from where she stood behind the couch, part of her was trying to remember everything, even noting the shadows the sunset had cast through the room.

Harvey emerged behind her silently, the sound of glass being set on the counter catching her attention. Turning around, Rainier saw him uncorking one of the bottles of wine she brought with.

“Would you like a glass?” Harvey asked, eyes focused on the task in front of him. Rainier watched his hands effortlessly twist and pull the cork out, nodding, “Yes please.”

“So polite,” Harvey teased as he poured two glasses, setting the bottle back on the counter before grabbing them. Rainier took a step forward to meet him, accepting the glass with a smile, “Thank you.”

Rainier moved back to the couch, happily taking the same seat she had before, and pulling just a bit of the blanket that was draped over the arm onto her lap. Taking a sip of wine, she watched Harvey fiddle with what looked to be a record player in the corner. It didn’t look very old, it was one of the newer age ones, a modern take on the classic machinery. There was a wooden crate of records beneath the small table the player rested on, and Harvey bent to pick one out, flipping the board in his hands and pulling the black disc out. Lifting the needle, he gently placed it at the beginning, and the turntable began to spin slowly, sound emitting from it’s speakers. 

“That’s cool,” Rainier admired from where she sat, having never used a record player herself. “I didn’t know you were into records.”

This made Harvey laugh as he came to join her on the cushions, a hand shaking his hair back off his forehead, only for some of the strands to fall right back down, “Not to exaggerate my age here,” he chuckled, “But I grew up listening to music on these. My parents denounced technology a little longer than most.”

Rainier blushed, a little embarrassed by her youth for a moment, “Of course,” she half mumbled half laughed, nervously turning her cup in her hands. The music was nice, the volume high enough to fill the room but low enough that they could still comfortably talk. Looking around as she took another drink, Rainier realized that Harvey didn’t have a television. Not that she minded, but she asked curiously, “Do you not watch TV?”

“Mm,” Harvey started around the rim of his glass, swallowing, “No, not really. Is that odd?”

Shaking her head, Rainier laughed, “Not at all.” 

“What do your parents do?” Rainier decided to get back to the questions, still wondering so much about him. Harvey easily answered, “My mom is a pediatrician, my dad is a general surgeon. Both are retired now, though my mom occasionally finds herself working at the teaching hospital. She likes to stay busy.”

“In your blood then, huh?” Rainier smiled, getting a clearer picture of his family in her head. Harvey chuckled, “Suppose so, my sister is a doctor too.”

“What do your parents do?” he asked, and Rainier adjusted herself to bring both legs beneath herself on the couch, “My mother is lawyer, corporate law, and my father is a doctor.”

Harvey’s eyebrows went up, and he followed up, “What does he practice?”

Rainier finished her sip quickly, “Oh, family medicine.”

“Ah,” Harvey chuckled, “A man of similar taste.” 

It was Rainier’s turn to laugh, her eyes rolling. Sighing, Harvey relaxed into the couch a little more, thoroughly enjoying himself. Rainier had pulled some blanket over herself, he noted, happy to see she was making herself comfortable. There were so many things he wanted to ask her, hoping to learn as much as he possibly could. He wasn’t sure why it felt so urgent, perhaps he was worried it was fleeting, like he would blink and she wouldn’t be there anymore, all of it just a memory. Or maybe he just wanted so badly to know her, all of her.

They talked their way through a whole bottle of wine, so enthralled in the other that Rainier got up to follow him to the kitchen to open another. Continuing their conversation, “I would _never_ skydive. What sense does that make? Throwing yourself out of an airplane.” Rainier let him take her glass to top it off. Harvey was laughing, trying to focus on not spilling any, “Exactly, I’m glad you get it.”

The sun had completely set, and Harvey had flipped on the lights. One brass floor lamp with a glass pendant, a clear bulb glowing fluorescently inside, and a simple table lamp with a white shade. It was just enough light, Rainier thought as they walked back to the living room, enjoying the cozy atmosphere, the fresh evening air still coming through the windows. 

“Did you ever go to the park by the river in Zuzu?” Rainier asked as she settled beneath his blanket again. Harvey made a humming sound, thinking, “The one with the nice benches?”

Rainier nodded, “Yes, that one! Has those even sidewalks.” Harvey shook his head, “Oh, yup, I used to run at that park.”

“Yeah?” Rainier asked, “That was one of my favorite spots in the city.” she mused, and Harvey noticed the wistful look in her eyes, “I don’t miss much about that place. I do miss that though. I’d go at night when no one was around, and sit on one of the benches on the eastside and look at the skyline.” 

Harvey’s eyes softened as he listened to her, a warm feeling spreading over his chest to his stomach. “Do you go back at all?”

Rainier made a face, realizing, “No, I don’t actually. I’ve been a few times to meet with markets and see my parents. That’s it though.”

“Mm,” Harvey acknowledged, “I used to live by the eastside of the park. You know the hospital a few blocks away? I’m sure you could hear the ambulances.” Rainier nodded, and he continued, “I used to work at that hospital, in the ER.”

“Small world, huh? I broke my ankle one time in university and landed myself in that ER.” Rainier admitted with a sheepish chuckle.

A horrified look crossed his face, making Rainier laugh so hard she almost snorted. Her laughter was contagious, and he couldn’t help but join her, the details of that story coming out between breaths. 

Soon they found themselves at the end of a bottle again, and quite a bit closer on the couch, whether either of them realized it. It was completely dark outside now, the light from the closest street lamp emitting a faint yellow glow against the pitch black windows. 

“It’s late,” Rainier sighed. Harvey tried not to let his disappointment show, instead just nodded, his eyes following her gaze. Rainier didn’t make any moves to stand though. This seemed to be where they always ended up. Late in the evening, neither of them wanting to go quite yet. It hung over them in the air, settling thickly, both of their breath getting a little slower. Harvey wanted to touch her. Even just put a hand on her leg, maybe grab her hand. The record he put on continued to spin in the background, the music and the sound of his heartbeat echoing in his ears. From where he was sitting he could see Rainier’s chest rising and falling, her eyes on the window, his eyes on her. 

“This has been nice,” Rainier turned and caught his stare, a small smile lifting her lips, “We should do it again.”

Harvey swallowed, his throat tight, “We should.”

Rainier began to shift beneath the blanket, not quite getting up, and Harvey offered, “Want me to walk with you?”

This surprised Rainier, and she was glad the low light of the lamps didn’t highlight the color of her cheeks. “I would like that.”

They hadn’t run out of things to say all evening, until now. There was nothing left to be said it seemed, or perhaps there was quite a lot left to be said, and not enough words for it all. The silence between them wasn’t uncomfortable, the cicadas rang out in the nearby trees and loons echoed in the distance. Rainier found herself biting her tongue for all the times she had wished the walk back to the farm wasn’t so long, of all the times she had wished it would go faster. Tonight she was disappointed to see the familiar entrance, feeling like it went far too quickly. 

If Harvey didn’t make her so nervous she might invite him inside. If she wasn’t so worried about going about this carefully, she might grab his hand as they walked silently back to the farm, pull on his arm and walk faster, letting him know how badly she wanted him. Instead she settled for walking close to him, their shoulders brushing every few steps, his hands tucked into his pockets. 

Passing the crescent moon sign, Rainier took a deep breath. Harvey thought she might say something, but her mouth was closed, her eyes on the ground as they approached the farmhouse. Rainier skittered up the steps, but Harvey stayed on the paver stones below, opting to lean against one of the columns of the porch. She looked back at him, wondering if he was following, and unable to fight a laugh, “Hey,” she turned on her heels and came down one step, standing awfully close to him, “I’m taller than you.”

Harvey looked up at her, exaggerating the stretch in his neck as he did, “Would you look at that,” his hand came out of his pocket, hesitating, wanting to wrap around her waist and pull her flush against his chest, make her stumble into him a little, “You are.”

Rainier took one more step down, now just inches from him, her core shaking a little, “Thanks for walking me back.”

Feeling like he might actually burst if he didn’t get his hands on her, he placed his open palm on her hip, eyes low as he smiled, “Thanks for coming over.”

Once again his simple touch warmed her entire body, and in that moment she felt every fiber of her being yearn for more. More time, more touch, more of him against her, her against him. Leaning into his touch, trying to convey that he could go further, she was pleased when his arm wrapped further around his waist, sending her into him, their hips lining up and chests pressing together. 

For a brief moment he could feel her breath fanning against his lips. They didn’t linger for long, Rainier’s eyes fluttered shut, her nose brushing against his, and that was it. Closing the gap, Rainier pressed her lips against his, fighting an audible sigh. Harvey wrapped his arms tighter around her middle as she kissed him, a wave of absolute bliss washing over him as he kissed her back. Urgently, they pressed their lips together, one of Rainier’s hands coming up to brace his cheek. His lips were soft and plush, his mustache tickling the space beneath her nose. Harvey opened his mouth first, deepening the kiss. If it was up to Rainier, she would have never pulled back, but the increasing need for oxygen made her reluctantly separate to take a breath. 

Harvey knew he needed to let her go, because if he kissed her again he wouldn’t leave, and as badly as he wanted her, all of her, he wanted to move slowly, with intention. Rainier tried to fight a whine when his arms left her waist, and her hand dropped from his cheek, eyes opening as he took a step back. Before panic could fill her, wondering if she took it too far, Harvey cracked a smile, his cheeks pink. 

“We should do that again.” he chuckled, hands sliding back into his pockets. Practically giddy, Rainier shook her head, “We should.”

Buzzing, Rainier stepped down off the steps completely, coming to stand in front of him again. Back to her usual height, she got up on her toes, wrapping both arms around his shoulders. She didn’t kiss him at first, instead looked at him from beneath her eyelashes, a goofy smile on her face. Harvey placed a hand on either side of her waist, holding her there.

“I should go,” he smiled back at her, his breath tickling her lips. She breathed him in, squirming a little closer in his hold, their lips almost touching now. “You should,” she agreed, kissing him.

Harvey groaned into her mouth as she ran her tongue against his bottom lip, tempting him to melt into her. Rainier chuckled in the same breath, the coil in the bottom of her stomach tightening. Releasing her arms, she fell back down to flat feet, and Harvey squeezed her waist between his hands before pulling back.

“Goodnight, Rainier,” he said, stepping back in the direction of town. Rainier mourned the loss of his touch already, her hand coming up to wave at him as he took a few steps backwards, smiling at her, before turning and walking away in the darkness, “Goodnight, Harvey.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can you believe we're almost at 2000 hits? That's crazy, thank you for coming along for the ride. 
> 
> Not to uhhhh spoil it, but I think we all know what's coming next. 
> 
> As usual, thank you for reading, I appreciate you. Let me know what you think in the comments or what you'd like to see.
> 
> Until next time x


	8. Chapter Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> y'all this is just smut
> 
> (suggested songs to vibe to while you read: "I Won't Fight It" by Andrew Belle and "All the Things" by Trevor Myall)

The final push of late summer before the transition to Fall had Rainier’s hands full. It was to be expected, but it didn’t change the fact that it was back breaking busy for weeks straight. Anything that didn’t have to do with sowing seeds and cultivating soil fell to the back burner, leaving almost all facets of Rainier’s personal life severely neglected, even the parts she wanted to pay extra attention to. Rainier seldom had time to go into town, but when she did, she made a habit of glancing in the clinic window to see if Harvey was alone. Today he wore an olive green button up with a band collar, a variation on his usual varying shades of white and classic triangle cut. The first button was undone, exposing the base of his neck and the start of his chest, the sleeves rolled up his forearms.

Grabbing the knob, Rainier stepped inside the clinic, carefully shutting the door behind her, knowing it had a tendency to swing shut against the frame, rattling the glass panes. Harvey looked up from where he was sitting at the front desk, his glasses having slid slightly down the bridge of his nose while he worked, his eyes glancing at her from above the lenses. “Rainier,” he smiled, standing up, voice a little gruff from sitting in silence for a few hours, “What do I owe the pleasure?”

Rainier came to stand across from him, sheepish about the fact that she had let so much time pass since she had last seen him. 

“I’m sorry I’m so bad at dating,” she spoke, lips turned in a slight grimace. Harvey raised his eyebrows, feigning surprise as he leant closer, tall enough to bridge the gap of the barrier between them, “Dating?”

Rainier’s face flushed, and she stuttered, aware of his gaze, “Well, no— I mean, unless you—”

Harvey shook his head, chuckling, “I am only teasing you.”

Rainier could feel his breath against her lips, “If we’re dating though,” his bottom lip brushed hers, “I suppose I better take you on a date.”

“Yeah?” she asked, her words fanning over his lips, knees tingling like they would when she would get nervous during grade school choir performances and lock her legs, a slight wavering. Harvey closed the space between them, kissing her softly. 

Leaning into the kiss, Rainier let out a lofty sigh into his mouth, her entire body relaxing with his touch. As if he was something her body had been waiting for, needing. Pulling back, Harvey placed one more kiss to her cheek, mustache tickling her soft, flushed skin.

“Friday?” he asked, sitting back down in his work chair, looking up at Rainier through his glasses. A little dazed, Rainier nodded, nothing on her to-do list coming even close to mind as an excuse. “I’ll pick you up around 6.”

—

“Look at you,” Shane whistled from where he was dragging a rake through the aisle of crops, agitating the earth to prevent weeds, “You clean up nice, Rain.”

The sun was already setting, and Rainier rolled her eyes at him, coming down the few steps off the porch as she adjusted the earrings dangling from her ears, very small, simple jade stones. 

Shane put the rake away and came over to stand nearby, smiling, “You excited?” 

Rainier nodded, glancing at the watch on her wrist, nervous, “He should be here soon.”

“Thank you for finishing up,” she added, giving his bicep a light slap, “I’m sorry it kept you so late.”

Shane waved his dirty gloved hand at her, “Don’t even mention it.”

Both of them looked to the road, two headlights glowing in their direction as Harvey’s car pulled in. Shane’s lips turned into a sly smirk, theatrically gesturing towards the road, smiling as he said, seriously, “Have fun, kid.”

Harvey was putting his phone back up on the dash mount when Rainier opened the passenger door. Grinning, Harvey watched as she sat down and clicked her seatbelt, asking, “How are you?” 

Settled, Rainier turned to him, the cabin lights dimming again now that the door had been shut, “I’m good,” she replied, tempted to lean forward and press her lips to his, instead, asking, “How are you?”.

“Better now,” he didn’t have quite as many reservations as her, one hand coming up to cup the side of her cheek, fingertips brushing the shell of her ear as he leaned in to kiss her, their noses slotting together, eyes shutting. Rainier swore her entire being relaxed when he kissed her. There was something deeply comforting about his presence and his touch was no different.

Harvey pulled back, not completely, just enough that their lips were only hovering, sharing a breath as he said, “Let’s go.”

Separating, small talk passed between them while Harvey started driving. It was funny, Rainier realized, she didn’t often see other town folks driving. You only ever really used your car if you were leaving Pelican Town, and now that she thought about it, she didn’t even know what kind of car Harvey had up until now. It was a simple black crossover, fairly new it seemed, with clean, modern finishes. It fit Harvey, not that she ever would have been able to guess that. Turning slightly in her seat, she took in his profile, the passing street lamps illuminating the line of his face. From here she could really see the dimple on his cheek, and the part on the right side of his head keeping his slightly longer than usual hair off his forehead. Harvey’s pantos style glasses were round on the bottom, the dark, tortoise shell frame resting right on the round of his cheek when he smiled. In the glass of his lenses she could see the reflection of the dashboard and the lights ahead of them.

Smitten with every part of him, Rainier felt the pressing desire to touch him, so she reached her hand cautiously across the console, unsure of where to put it. Harvey noticed her movement out of the corner of his eye and grabbed her wandering hand, bringing it back to her lap and spreading his palm out over her thigh. Rainier sunk further into her seat, grounded by his touch.

Harvey hummed and squeezed her thigh ever so slightly. The pressure made Rainier’s heart beat faster, and she brought her hand over his. Using the controls on his steering wheel, Harvey turned up the jazz music that was quietly playing from the speakers. Rainier used the tip of her finger to trace the lines of his hand. Harvey shivered at the sensation, her gentle touch sending a tingle all the way up his arm. The fleeting glow of passing cars and lights allowed Rainier to look at the path she was tracing, otherwise relying on touch in the dark.

They drove like this for most of the ride, Harvey’s hand occasionally flexing against her thigh, fingers rubbing in and then back out as he did, Rainier’s fingers experimentally traveling up his hand and wrist, coming back down each time she reached the seam of his sleeve. Looking around herself, she saw they were in Zuzu proper now, the urban scenery familiar. Rainier made a soft sound as she started paying more attention to the street signs, wondering if she knew where they were. Harvey slowly pulled his hand from beneath hers, bringing it up to the steering wheel to park in one of the street side parking spots. 

“What’re we doing?” Rainier asked, curious as she undid her seatbelt.

Harvey smiled as he grabbed for the door handle, “C’mon,”

Following him, they walked down the block to a small restaurant with big windows and low lighting.  _ Arrow & Fig _ was written in simple big, bronze metal letters above the black door. Harvey grabbed the handle, holding it open as Rainier walked inside, the chatter of the restaurant and low music surrounding her. Harvey was close behind, both leaning to the side as another group walked past them and out the door, the low lit corridor slim. A stark contrast to the spaced out rural life the two led now in Pelican Town. His hand came to rest lightly on her waist, his torso pressing into her backside as he leaned forward and said to the hostess, “Good evening, two for Harvey,”

The hostess motioned for them to follow her, and they weaved their way through the maze of tables to their place positioned by one of the windows. Careful as to not bump the people sitting beside them, they sat down.

“This is nice,” Rainier leaned in as she spoke, knowing it would be a little hard to hear each other over the hum of other conversations. Harvey smiled, the candle light glowing in his glasses and teeth. 

“I used to live around the corner from here,” he explained, prompting Rainier to look out the window, inspecting the area, asking, “Really?”

He nodded, continuing, “One of my friends dropped out of med school during his fourth year to start this place.”

Rainier looked back to him, “No way, fourth year?”

“Yeah,” Harvey chuckled, “Everyone thought he was nuts. Turns out he was a damn good chef.”

Rainier shared his chuckle, looking around at the black walls and soft wooden finishes. Dark green fiddle leaf figs were potted around the room, simple tarnished bronze light fixtures glowing low light overhead.

Dinner passed with pleasant conversation, and Rainier realized just how long it had been since she had properly been out to dinner. Nowadays she didn’t even make it over the saloon for a meal, let alone a modern restaurant in the city. Harvey was a fantastic dinner companion, the perfect balance of interesting facts about obscure topics and day to day musing.

After dinner they wandered a few blocks, and to Rainier’s surprise, ended up at a very familiar riverside park. The sound of their footsteps on the concrete echoed through the quiet air, sounds of the city in the distance. Rainier looked to him as they continued to walk, making eye contact as she said, “I must’ve walked this park hundreds of times, funny to think that restaurant has been back there all along.”

Harvey nodded, “Small world, isn’t it?”

“Yeah,” Rainier smiled, “Yeah it is.”

Lights from across the river reflected on the dark water, the majority of the taller buildings clustered on that side of town. Every few steps the side of their hands would brush, and as they passed this time, Rainier linked her pinky in his. Harvey intertwined the rest of their fingers, squeezing their hand.

They walked like this back to the car, spending the majority of the ride home in silence, content just enjoying the other’s company. Driving down the familiar tree covered road, the farmhouse appeared in the headlights. As Harvey put the car in park, Rainier thought about asking him if he wanted to come inside, but hesitated. Turning, Harvey looked at her features in the darkness of the cab, the gentle light from the dashboard highlighting just enough. 

“I had a good time tonight,” Harvey smiled, quite smitten. “Me too,” she replied, fingers tangling together in her lap, “Thank you.”

For a moment, both of them paused, something unsaid. Harvey knew that if he was slightly bolder than he was he might linger, but considering he wasn’t anyone but himself, and for once that felt okay, he knew he wouldn’t. Leaning forward, Harvey slowly and gently lined his mouth up with hers, kissing her softly. Rainier breathed in his kiss. They didn’t go deeper than that, and as they pulled back, their lips hovered over the others for a breath, both of their chests shaking. Lifting his chin, Harvey pressed his lips just above the space between her eyes. 

The cusp of something more lingered between them, almost spilling over. For now, though, Harvey spoke against her skin, breath warm, “Goodnight, Rainier.”

—

After a series of leading questions from Maru, and the unspoken shock that a couple of weeks had passed since their last date and he hadn’t gone to see her, Harvey found himself walking his favorite path. It was the time of year where autumn hovered, not quite fully transitioning, but bringing colder mornings and evenings to the valley. Harvey was always surprised by the first feelings of cold after the hot summer, the reminder that winter was never far. Today he pulled his overcoat on, something he hadn’t donned in months. 

The end of summer made Rainier feel nostalgic for the months that had passed. It was hard to believe another season was wrapping up already. Nights grew chillier, the wind blew more, ushering in autumn. Sitting on the porch with her laptop resting on her legs, Rainier looked beyond the screen at the field, in awe of what they had been able to do on this land. Most evenings lately were spent in spreadsheets and emails, figuring out yields and coordinating with customers for the distant spring. 

Sometimes Rainier wished she could pause where she was, worried she was often planning away the present. Sighing, she shut the computer, leaning back against the cedar shingles of the house. The breeze rustled through the crops, combing their leaves. It was refreshing, and Rainier closed her eyes, taking a deep breath of the fresh air through her nose. She knew she should get up, go grab some vegetables from the field and throw something together for dinner, but it felt nice to sit still. Even if only for a few minutes. 

The sun set earlier now that the seasons had changed, and the trees had begun their transition from green to varying shades of autumn, a chill blowing through them. Harvey was pleased to see Rainier was outside when he arrived, her legs crossed and her laptop shut over her lap. Getting closer, Harvey noticed that her eyes were closed, her head tipped back against the house, a peaceful look on her face. He stopped for a moment, standing a few feet away from the porch, his hands in his pockets, a silly smile lifting his lips. 

Rainier was beautiful. Harvey knew that the moment he met her, but here, the sun mostly set, the consistent breeze of an early autumn evening, he saw her as he hadn’t before. Completely relaxed. Vulnerable, almost. 

Quietly, Harvey began walking up the steps of the porch, carefully sitting down next to her. His thigh lined up with hers, just barely pressing, and he let his head fall back against the wall. The clouds were moving quickly through the sky, all the wind pushing a stormy system over the valley, one that would accumulate a few hundred more kilometers inland, the valley providing the perfect ingredients for rain. Rainier stirred next to him, her lips pressing together and releasing again. Bringing his hand up, he rested it gently on her knee, rubbing his thumb back and forth there.

“Rainier,” he said softly, making himself known, not wanting to scare her. Rainier made a humming sound, eyes opening, neck straightening, “Mm,”

Blinking slowly as she took in the space around her, Rainier realized she was still outside, the warm breeze she fell asleep to much colder now. Goosebumps sprouted on her skin, and she felt a familiar touch on her knee, turning her attention to the warmth next to her. 

As easily scared as she was, she didn’t flinch, only smiled, sleepiness still softening her gaze, “Hey, you.”

Harvey felt something stir inside him. It wasn’t necessarily unfamiliar, but it was stronger than anything he had known before, and it crashed over him as he looked into her eyes. It was now that he realized he was in way over his head. He knew he would let himself drown in her, no— he wanted to drown in her. If she was the ocean he was walking in willingly, praying that she would wash over him, pulling him under.

Rainier yawned, rubbing her eyes, “I’m glad you’re here.”

Letting her head fall to the side, she rested on his shoulder. Still waking up, Rainier was staring out at the field, and Harvey followed her gaze. The hardier fall crops blew with the wind, standing strong beneath the gusts. Moving his hand further up her thigh, he stayed there, touch firm, as if she might blow away. 

“How are you?” she asked, yawning. “I’m good,” he reciprocated a yawn, “Busy week. And you?” Rainier smiled, eyes still on the field, “I’m good, the to-do lists are getting shorter.” 

Harvey squeezed her thigh in acknowledgment, turning his head to press a kiss into the crown of her head. Despite his best intentions, he couldn’t help but linger there, taking a deep breath of her scent before speaking into her hair, “Want to go inside? You must be getting cold.”

It was warmer inside, but Rainier almost thought about lighting the wood stove, one of the first few days she had considered it this season. The door clicked behind them and Harvey shrugged his coat off, hanging it up on one of the hooks on a nearby wall. Rainier was in a pair of loose grey shorts, the fabric thin and soft. A baggy, beat up light yellow t-shirt that had been cut in half at some point in the summer rested right at her midriff, a thin strip of skin visible. It wasn’t the first time Harvey had seen this part of Rainier, but he noticed it was different than he remembered, the skin still looking impossibly soft, the muscle beneath firm and strong, the shape of her waist clearly defined. Even in this, she was a vision, her short, almost bob length hair had grown since he met her, the now mid length strands brushing past her shoulders. 

Harvey knew then that he loved her. Which was a crazy thing to feel, after all they had only just started dating, which is why he didn’t say anything of it. Instead he watched her uncork a bottle of wine, having to rise up onto her toes to gather enough force to pull the cork out. Pouring the wine, she glanced over at him.

“Yoba—” she laughed, glancing down at what she put on after her shower earlier, not with company in mind, “I must look ridiculous.”

“No,” Harvey spoke, voice even like it always was, but fonder than she had heard before, “Not in the slightest.”

Rainier turned around to fill the other glass, and Harvey took a few steps towards the kitchen, meeting her halfway as she turned to hand him one. Before she could brush past him, silently inviting him to come sit in the living room, he put one hand on her waist, requesting that she pause with him. The force of being pulled closer made Rainier giggle, and she now found herself standing in front of him. Both glasses were set onto the counter next to them with a clink and she sighed into the kiss that followed, pressing into him.

“I missed you,” Harvey spoke against her lips, both of their eyes closed. Rainier kissed him again before asking, “Yeah?”

Harvey nodded, tempted to deepen their kiss, but resisting. 

“Yeah,” he chuckled, low and breathy, “Terribly.”

Rainier took a deep breath, the shake in her diaphragm palpable against Harvey’s palm, their lips still hovering. A particularly strong gust of wind whistled against the windows, the glass panes rattling. The sound pulled both of them from their embrace, taking a deep breath as they stepped apart. Rainier walked over to take a look, curious.

“It’s windy out there,” Harvey said. 

Rainier hummed in agreement, peering out the window. It was dark now. A few moths danced in the light of the porch, and a shiver went up Rainier’s spine as she felt him come to stand behind her. A low, quiet sound rumbled in Harvey’s chest. Anticipation hung heavily, his breath hot against the back of her neck. Not just anticipation of his touch now—no, it was months of wanting this, thinking about him. 

By now it had transformed into something akin to desperation. The simplest touch from him would linger on her skin, a kiss on the forehead, or a squeeze of her arm in passing. Many nights her hand found it’s way between her legs when her mind inevitably drifted to him. She would rub herself, slowly at first, letting herself imagine what his hands would feel like. Her free hand would grab her breast, rubbing her nipple back and forth between two fingers. Eventually his name would rest on her lips, her head pushed back into the pillows, tense, hips lifting from the sheets, begging for release. In that moment, she imagined he would finally indulge her, and she would sink her fingers inside herself. She’d arch her back, crying out, loudly, unconcerned about anyone being able to hear her as she gasped,  _ “Harvey,” _

Back to the living room, where the light of a lamp dimly lit the dark cabin, Harvey wrapped his arms around her waist, his hips pressing into her backside, his chest to her back. Rainier’s lips parted with an almost silent sigh, another shiver shaking her body as he ran his nose along the side of her neck, breathing her in. Harvey spread his palms out over her stomach, slipping beneath the fabric of her cropped shirt, thumbs brushing just beneath her breasts.

For a moment they were perfectly still. He wondered if this was it. He wondered if she felt it; the burning. The feeling that it would pour over.

Harvey pressed a kiss into the curve of her neck and Rainier melted into his hold. Harvey placed a few more kisses, traveling up to the spot just beneath her ear. He wanted to say something, but words escaped him as Rainier shifted in his touch, turning to press her chest into his. She kissed him, hard, her arms wrapping around his shoulders, one hand tangling in the hair at the base of his neck. Rainier took a breath against his lips, the sound almost coming out as a moan.

Her arousal was almost painful at this point, and Rainier kept her eyes closed as she admitted against his lips, “I want you.”

Harvey made a sound deep in his chest, arms tightening around her waist as he pressed his hips against her, groaning hotly against her mouth, “Don’t say that.”

“I want you,” she panted, breath hitching as he started kissing along her jaw, then running his tongue along her ear lobe, and repeating like a hymn before her voice trailed off into soft, breathy moans, “I want you, I want you,  _ I, _ ”

His hands were beneath her shirt again, rubbing back and forth over her ribcage and back, pulling her as close as he could get her. There was nothing tentative about his touch, Harvey touched with tenderness but intention. Pressure without force. No clumsiness.

Harvey hooked his fingers in the fabric of her top, lifting it up and over her head. Rainier moved her hands to his buttons, quickly undoing all of them. Pushing the shirt off his shoulders, they clumsily pulled his undershirt over his head, pulling apart only enough to take it off. Rainier took the opportunity to catch her breath, staring at Harvey as her chest heaved. He was flushed, his cheeks and the tip of his nose pink. His collar bones pressed up beneath his skin, the lines of chest firm but soft, a spattering of hair covering his pecs. Swallowing, Rainier parted her lips to speak, but Harvey beat her to it, asking, “Bedroom?”

Rainier nodded, taking a breath before crashing back into him, her breasts pressed into his bare chest. They walked to the bedroom tangled up in each other, Harvey’s arms tight around her waist, holding her still as she threatened to fall over in favor of kissing him. The sensation of her hardened nipples rubbing against his chest made her throb a little, her breath hitching in her throat as the back of her legs hit the mattress. Harvey gently pushed her back onto the surface, carefully climbing on top of her as she slid further up off the edge. Their mouths separated with a wet click, lips pressing into whatever part of the body they could reach as they got comfortable. 

Hovering over her, Harvey let his mounting arousal rock against her thigh, groaning into her neck as he did. He reached a hand between them, shifting to the side just enough to cup her through her shorts. Rainier moaned and he breathed it in, able to feel how warm she was beneath his palm, his middle and ring finger pressing down a little harder as he rubbed up and down her covered lips. The loose fabric of her shorts made it easy to slip even further, now just the barrier of her thin underwear between them, the fabric dampening as he continued to tease her.

Rainier felt herself tighten, walls clenching and unclenching as he focused on the area just around her clit, rubbing up and down quickly. Her fingers wrapped around his forearm, squeezing, trying to communicate just how good that felt. Harvey slowed the movement of his hand, kissing her still, humming into her mouth as he dipped his hand beneath her panties, the cotton fabric straining against his knuckles as he slid two fingers down her slick opening. 

A shaky moan escaped Rainier, so relieved by his touch that she could sob. Harvey kept his pace slow, drawing languid circles over her swelling clit. Breathing harder now, Rainier rocked her hips up against his hand, encouraging him. He pulled back and looked at her, noting the flush in her cheeks and the shade of red her kissed lips were. Opening her eyes, she quivered, drawing a breath as she watched him begin moving down her body. His hands ran down her sides while he inched lower, touching her softly, like his hands were asking each part of her a different question. Her body arched into him, answering yes again and again.

The tip of her nipple was enveloped by his mouth, his tongue hot and wet against her. The prettiest sound left her lips as he sucked a little, and he groaned against the mound of her breast, teeth grazing the sensitive skin as he, in a trail of wet kisses, moved to the other nipple. Rainier squirmed beneath him, legs pressing together in an attempt to put some pressure on her aching clit. Continuing, Harvey kissed down her stomach, feeling her abdomen shake against his lips as he passed the sensitive skin just above her pubic bone. In the same motion, Rainier lifted her bottom off the bed and Harvey pulled down the last of the fabric between them.

He kissed the inside of her thighs, settling between them. The anticipation of his mouth made her flush, bottom lip slipping beneath her teeth while she watched in what felt like disbelief as Harvey flattened his tongue against her pussy, licking up the entirety of her. Rainier’s head fell back completely, neck stretched out, lips parted as she moaned, loudly this time. Harvey groaned again in response to the sound, the moans and soft gasps for air driving him absolutely mad, his hips stirring against the bed.

A man of precision if nothing else, Harvey moved his tongue over her clit with an incredible amount of care. He paid attention to which strokes would make her hips buck, what made her moan louder. When he slid his tongue lower, plunging into her soaked entrance, she cried his name, and he made note.

“Harvey,” she choked, teetering on euphoria as he moved his tongue in and out of her, “Oh,  _ oh Harvey _ ,”

Rainier was an absolute pleasure. Harvey thought he already knew this, but now, with her thighs pressing the sides of his face, and the hand tangled deep in his curls pulling  _ hard _ , he truly understood. Too far gone to say anything that sounded like real words, Rainier cried out, orgasm crashing over her. Harvey shifted to lick fervently at her clit, replacing his tongue with his fingers, sliding two carefully inside of her. Pumping slowly, Rainier tightened around his touch, wracked with pleasure as she repeated his name, softer this time, the sound trailing off into breathy moans, her legs shaking through the throbbing. 

Just before the sensation became too much, Harvey lifted his tongue and slowly slid his fingers out of her. Sitting up, he looked at Rainier from where she was laid out in front of him, body already spent with pleasure. Her cheeks had turned a shade of pink he hadn’t seen before. Rainier rose to rest on her elbows, a puff of air coming out of her mouth. She was still catching her breath, her chest rising and stomach shifting as she inhaled again. Harvey noticed that his own breath was labored, cheeks flushed. 

“I,” Rainier started, her thoughts not quite gathered. His lips were shiny with her arousal, hair tousled from all the tugging. Harvey’s head tilted to the side, listening, and she decided it would just be easier to show him. Sitting up, she reached for him, her hands coming to cup his face as she kissed him. Harvey let himself be maneuvered onto his back, both of them falling into the mattress. Rainier straddled his waist, her bare sex rubbing against the fabric of his covered erection. She kissed his jaw, breathing over his neck. His eyes rolled back in his head as she took his earlobe into her mouth, teeth gently grazing the sensitive skin. Groaning, Harvey squeezed her waist in his hands, the large palms able to envelope her hips, pressing her down against him while she kissed the spot beneath his ear now. 

One of Rainier’s hands fumbled between them, clumsily flicking the button of his pants before pulling the zipper down. Helpful, or perhaps eager, Harvey pulled his pants off, opting to kick them the rest of his way once they hit his shins. Rainier slid her fingers beneath his boxers as they settled back against the duvet. They were both a little sweaty, and she kissed over his collar bones, tongue running along the skin there. He tasted like salt, and she swore it was akin to the salt of the ocean here in the valley. 

Rainier smiled against his neck, wrapping her hand around his cock. He was hard, the tip wet with precum. 

Harvey let out a low moan, body lengthening as she pumped up and down a few times, timid at first. “Ah,” he moaned, eyes opening when Rainier began to peel herself off of him, her hand still moving steadily. Making herself comfortable between his legs, the lower half of her body stretched out over the bed, her upper body propped up on her forearms, one hand still stroking him slowly. 

Always polite, Rainier looked up to him, lips parted, asking, “Can I?”

He could hear his blood pumping in his ears for a second, something deep inside of him clenching almost painfully. She was perfect, Yoba, she was more than he deserved, he was sure of it. Yet here she was, his cock inches from her lips, eyes glancing up at him asking if she could put him in her mouth. Harvey had never fainted before, but he thought he might be experiencing clinical lightheadedness for the first time in his life. 

Nodding, Harvey could barely muster any words, but said, breathily, “Please.”

As if it wasn’t enough, Rainier smiled, truly and joyfully, before wrapping her lips around the tip, her tongue flattening against the head. Head falling back, Harvey cursed, eyes falling shut as he moaned, “ _ Fuck _ , Rainier,”

Rainier hadn’t heard Harvey curse like that before, and it pleased her. She tilted to run her tongue down the ridge of his member, then back up again, before taking all of him into her mouth, bobbing up and down slowly. One of her hands braced herself on his thigh, the other wrapped around the base, pumping the part she wasn’t able to reach with her mouth. It felt unreasonably good, and Harvey couldn’t conceal his moans, the sound coming from deep inside his abdomen. Going a little faster, she could feel the muscles in his thighs tensing, hips bucking just slightly into her mouth, desperately trying to be gentle with her. 

Hoping to see him let go, Rainier removed her hand, pushing herself a little further down his cock, coughing just a little as the head hit the back of her throat. Harvey’s breath caught in his throat and his lower stomach clenched. Rainier did a few strokes like that, taking him all the way into her mouth and back out again, her lips sucking around his head. Part of him was relieved as her pace slowed again, her hand coming back to the base, pumping him firmly but slowly as she pulled her mouth away. The back of her hand came up to wipe the saliva that had dripped down her chin, and Harvey sat up enough to look at her, his eyelids heavy with lust. 

“Come here,” he said, more of a demand than a request, and Rainier quickly and happily obliged, the aching inside her almost unbearable at this point. She straddled his waist again, their wetness rubbing together, Harvey’s hands gripping her bottom, pulling and spreading the soft flesh. He moaned into her mouth as she rolled her hips against him, sliding her clit along his cock. 

“Condom?” they both mumbled at the same time, then laughed into each other’s mouths between kisses. Uninterested in separating, not even a little, Rainier ran her fingers through the hair on the side of his head, quietly and a little shyly, saying, “We don’t have to,”

Harvey gulped, lips still pressed to hers, one of his arms wrapping around her waist, pulling her flush against him. Before she could protest, he had rolled her onto her back, her legs on either side of him, his body pressing her firmly into the mattress. His cock rested on her lower abdomen between them, thick and hard. Harvey pulled her bottom lip with his teeth, asking, “Are you sure?”

Rainier nodded, moaning as he rolled one of her nipples between his fingers. A soft chuckle was breathed into his mouth as she said, “You prescribe my birth control.”

Rolling his eyes, Harvey couldn’t help but laugh back, kissing her harder. They adjusted so Harvey was kneeling between her legs, their hips lined up. Their kisses slowed down, mouths just hovering together as Harvey pressed the tip against her entrance. Rainier’s breath hitched, feeling pleasantly stretched as he slowly slid inside her. A soft, long moan fell from her lips, her head relaxing into the pillow.

Harvey released a heavy, shaky sigh, his whole cock inside her now. He kissed her jaw, experimentally rocking his hips, getting to know her body at this angle. Rainier moaned, taking a deep breath as Harvey pulled almost all the way back out before pushing in again. Comfortable, Harvey began to move his hips a little faster. Rainier’s eyes had fallen shut but she opened them to search for him, hands reaching for him, palms running over his broad shoulders and then up to cup his cheeks, pulling him back to her lips. Harvey moaned into her mouth. As if a response to his, she moaned, back arching off the bed as he said her name again, the sound coming out on a loop as his hips fucked her faster, “ _ Rainier _ , oh,”

“Harvey,” she moaned, shakily. “Please,” she found herself begging, panting, “I’m so close, I’m so close,” 

Harvey could’ve sobbed, the feeling all too much, the coil in the bottom of his stomach possibly the tightest it had ever been. Just as he worried he would finally, wholly, spill over, he could feel her walls clenching around him, her cries louder. Her fingertips pressed into the skin of his arms and back, whatever she could reach, as she moaned his name over, and over, and over again. Coming undone, his hips stuttered, and Rainier kissed his neck as he thrusted, hard, one last time, burying himself deep inside her as he came. 

Spent, he relaxed on top of her. They stayed still for just a moment, breathing the other in. 

Rainier released airy moans between breaths, the pressure of his cock still inside of her. Harvey whimpered himself as he mustered the will to carefully lift himself off of her. A shiver ran down her spine as cum spilled from her entrance, and Harvey watched, sitting back on his heels for a moment, stunned by her delightful figure, red splotches where his hands had gripped a little too hard, and her vulva, now covered in his semen. Her cheeks were already flushed but her eyes squinted with shyness from his gaze, one arm coming to rest over her face, only to expose more of her chest to him with the slight stretch of her oblique. A low hum left his chest as he stopped staring and shifted to lay beside her, stretching out his arm, an offer. Rainier leaned closer, backing herself into his embrace, head resting on his bicep. She grabbed the hand beneath her, intertwining their fingers, tethering them. 

“Thank you,” Rainier said, limbs feeling a bit like jello. Harvey chuckled, the sound shaking her body, “Thank  _ you _ .”

Skin still thrumming, she gasped quietly at the sensation of his fingers tracing the skin of her hip. He smiled into the back of neck, the hair there damp with sweat. The wind blew outside, a wind chime suspended from the porch ringing into the night. Surely there was something to say. Neither of them could find the words for it right now though, and instead snuggled a little closer. 

—

“You’re awake,” Rainier smiled, her body leant up against the doorframe, the sun streaming in behind her. Harvey propped himself up on his elbows amid the linen sheets, smiling sleepily at her, “You’re quite a bucolic vision.” 

This made her chuckle, and she straightened up, walking back to the bed, bare feet padding on the wood floor. Harvey laid back, a pleased sound escaping him as she crawled on top of him, her hips settling over his. Rainier’s hands rested on his lower stomach, fingers running through the little bit of hair there. He shifted beneath her, the pressure of his hips lifting making Rainier bite the inside of her lip. The tenderness between her legs made her face start to warm, so she leant down to press their chests together, turning her cheek to rest against him. Harvey ran his hands up her body and across her waist, wrapping his arms around her middle. 

“Did you sleep well?” she asked, the vibrations of her voice tingling his chest. He hummed, “Mm yes, quite well. Did you?”

Rainier nodded, turning her head to press a kiss on his sternum before sliding off to lay beside him, unable to think about anything else with her clit pressed against his soft erection. She was on her side, and Harvey rolled to face her, eyes still a little sleepy. This was the first time she had seen him with his glasses off, and to her surprise, he didn’t look all that different without them. Harvey leaned forward, kissing Rainier. Her eyes closed, her hand coming to gently rest on his chest. Opening her mouth, she welcomed his tongue, he sighed into the kiss. 

The kiss was slow, neither of them in a hurry to be anywhere but right here. In a way that she hadn’t been able to last night amidst all the urgency, Rainier curiously ran her hands over Harvey’s chest, taking in the lines of his shape. He yelped softly into her mouth when her fingers brushed over his nipple and Rainier smiled at the sound. The hand that had landed on her hip began to tease at the waistline of the shorts she had slipped on. Sliding beneath the fabric, Harvey maneuvered his hand to cup her bare sex, inhaling the moan that followed. Rainier felt her eyes rolling back as he began rubbing up and down her slit. 

“I want to take my time with you,” he spoke against her lips, watching her struggle to keep her eyes open. His fingers slowed down, rubbing bigger circles over her clit now. Rainier moaned, fighting the desire to rub against his hand, urging him to move just a little harder or faster, bridge the almost painful gap he left between his touch and her edge. As if rewarding her restraint, Harvey dipped his fingers lower, sliding inside her now very wet pussy. She gasped, one hand gripping his arm, the other splayed out over his chest, fingers flexed, almost shaking. 

In the spirit of taking their time, Rainier cautioned, voice shaking between moans, her fingernails starting to press into his skin, teetering on painful, “ _ Harvey _ ,”

He moaned, taking a pleased deep breath as she continued to whimper into his mouth. Bringing his slick coated fingers back to her clit, he began rubbing with some purpose, foregoing further teasing. Rainier kissed him harder, sliding her tongue against his, their teeth lightly clinking as she clung to him. Harvey separated enough that he could keep his eyes on her, watching her eyebrows furrow, eyes shut, lips part. The hand on his bicep traveled up to his hair, fingers brushing his ear as she slid over his scalp, knuckles tensing and tugging the strands from the root as he continued his steady pace on her clit. 

A sensation he was becoming very fond of, Rainier began to shake with her orgasm, her core buckling, thighs shivering, voice getting an octave higher as she cried his name. Rainier moaned with pure delight as he worked her through her orgasm, fingers slowing down as she came down, softening his touch so as not to make the nerves too sensitive. Rainier’s open mouthed gasps transitioned to slow kisses, the hand that was in his hair having dropped to drape over his shoulder. 

Harvey smiled into the kiss, struck by the joy of being able to give her pleasure. Coming to a stop, Harvey pulled his hand out from between them, bringing it to rest on her ass. Rainier ceased her kissing for long enough to say, “I want you inside me.”

Leaning forward, Harvey pressed into Rainier, easing her to lay on her back. With no barriers between them, and now slightly more familiar with each-other’s bodies, they easily maneuvered so that Harvey was kneeling between her legs, Rainier tucked her knees up to present as much of herself to him as she could. Her lips parted with labored breaths, watching excitedly as Harvey lined himself up at her entrance, sliding his tip back and forth over her clit, and on one particularly low down stroke, he slid inside of her with one swift motion, the arousal that had gathered at her entrance assisting the process. 

Rainier gasped, stomach hollowing as she drew a deep breath. She wasn’t sure if it was his height or something else completely, but Harvey was more endowed than she had ever known, and the stretch of his length and girth filled her in a way that took her breath away. Harvey came to hover over her, propping himself up on his forearm on one side and hand on the other. Driving his hips into her, he drew a low moan, the hand in the sheets gripping the fabric next to Rainier’s hair, some of the strands getting caught in the mix, the sharp tug making her moan louder. 

Their pace was now faster than the night before, something more energetic about their touch, the sunlight shining in slivers on the bed. Her head fell back, her entire body bouncing with his thrust, his face buried in her neck, “That feels so good, Harvey,”

He groaned in response, hips slowing for a moment, strokes getting longer, sliding deeper, making her voice shake. The consistent brushing of a bundle of nerves Rainier didn’t even know existed made her claw at Harvey’s back, knees on either side of him squeezing tighter. 

“Rainier,” he panted, an unbearable heat burning between his hips.

She tilted herself up just a little more, exclaiming as he hit her absolute limit, her arms falling back to rest above her head. Harvey propped himself up on both hands, her breasts bouncing more now that they weren’t pressed together. 

In a series of moans and begging him not to stop, Rainier came, at one point her moaning breaking into a breathy laugh, surprised by the force of her orgasm. Harvey fucked her through it, suspending her in the moment of having just cum, the sensation enough to make her reach for his shoulders again, pulling him back down on top of her, their chests colliding, lips pressing together wetly, tongues tangling. Harvey broke their kiss, crying out into her mouth, thrusts growing erratic, each one harder than the last, burying himself deep in her grip. He came with a broken moan, her name on his lips. Rainier caught her breath, head falling back, series of tired moans escaping between gasps, completely spent. Harvey’s head fell back into the curve of her neck, skin sweaty. 

“Incredible.” he mumbled, and Rainier hummed, squirming beneath him, making generally pleased noises. His throat felt a little rough from all the moaning, and he peeled himself off her just enough to slide out of her, inelegantly rolling himself onto the bed next to her, his arms above his head as he caught his breath. Head rolling to the side, Harvey looked to her, seeing if she was just as spent as he was, chuckling, “You’re really going to give me a run for my money.” 

“Mm?” Rainier opened her eyes, smiling. Harvey felt his chest swell again as they made eye contact, and he elaborated, “I’m not as young as I used to be, is all.” 

This made her roll her eyes, laughing, “Could’ve fooled me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 75,000 words and one year later, here we are! We'll get back to the plot next chapter ;) 
> 
> I sincerely appreciate you taking the time to read my silly little story. Until next time x


	9. Chapter Nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> fluff fluff fluff
> 
> I couldn't help myself.

Shane had never beat Rainier to work before. In all the weeks they had been working together, by the time Shane was making his way up from the southern entrance of the farm, Rainier was already up, usually having worked for an hour or so. Today though, Shane was here, and Rainier was nowhere to be found. Smirking to himself, he started work as planned, wondering what she had gotten up to. 

The animals were still peacefully sleeping in their barns, seemingly unbothered by their later than usual feed now that mornings were colder. The sprinklers went off automatically every day, and on his way to the greenhouse, Shane dodged the stray droplets that the gusty fall wind blew through the air. Their workload had dropped dramatically now that fall was on it’s way out. Winter wasn’t far at all, the last of their field crops would be harvested within the next few days, the frost point threatening to creep over them every night. The greenhouse would keep kicking for a few more weeks, the heated building provided quite a bit of season extension, allowing them to continue to grow some hardier varieties of greens during the desolate winter. 

Shane was leading their season closing this year, starting with taking inventory of their tools and remaining seeds before crop planning began for next spring. Now that the days weren’t so labor intensive, he had time to start the more tedious of the organization projects. Pulling his headphones on, Shane sat down in their increasingly too small storage building, still wondering where Rainier was, if only so he could tease her.

“I need to get up,” Rainier said through a yawn, arms coming up to stretch over her head. Harvey hummed in disagreement, the arm beneath her head curling around her, pulling her closer to him, “It’s still dark outside.”

This made Rainier chuckle, letting herself be brought back into his chest, face to face now, his mustache close enough to tickle her lips, “It usually is when I get up.”

“Mm,” Harvey humphed, bridging the gap to give her a kiss, “What if you didn’t?”

Rainier didn’t answer, only smiled against his mouth, melting into his kiss. Feeling his tongue run along her bottom lip, she parted them, allowing him to tangle with hers. They kissed, slowly, much longer than they should’ve considering it was already later than Rainier usually woke up, let alone when she needed to walk back to the farm from town to get her day started on-time. Taking a deep breath, Rainier pulled back, eliciting a displeased groan from a closed-eyed Harvey.

“I know, I know,” she comforted him, smiling as she peeled herself out of his embrace, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed. Harvey stretched where he was still laying, knowing that she really did need to get going, even if his preference would be to keep her beneath the covers with him until his alarm went off in another hour or so. Resigned, he watched Rainier pad around his little studio apartment, naked, pulling on different articles of clothing as she went. 

“Do you happen to see my pants?” she asked, looking around, puzzled. Harvey sat up to take a look himself, not much help without his glasses but half-heartedly trying to be of assistance. Feeling cheeky, he teased, “They might be in the bed.”

“Oh really?” Rainier laughed, checking the couch again where most of her clothing had been left after they made love last night, before indulging him and going back to the bed, lifting up the duvet for the show of it all, humming, “Hm, I don’t see them.”

Harvey took the chance to reach for her, arms able to grab just enough of her waist to pull her back into the sea of blankets and pillows, a yelp escaping her. Unsurprisingly, Rainier didn’t resist at all, giggling as he came to hover over her, kissing her fervently, his hands rubbing firmly down the sides of her body, his torso pressed warmly against hers.

“If you must go,” he spoke against her skin, transitioning his kisses from her lips to the curve of her neck, the spot that without fail always made her moan, “ _ Harvey _ ,”

Rainier tried to focus, wondering how he would finish that thought. Harvey’s kisses went lower, his entire body beginning to inch lower, first to her collarbones, pulling her shirt out of the way, not all the way off, to bring his mouth to her nipples, sucking at the nub and rubbing the other between his fingers. Rainier’s moans were softer in the morning, her voice still waking up. 

By now she knew exactly what he was going to do, something that he made a habit of doing as often as he possibly could. Fortunately both of them were quite fond of the activity, Rainier settling into his pillows, a familiar tingling in the bottom of her stomach as the warmth of his mouth got closer to her pelvis, a trail of wet kisses left on her abdomen. Harvey was a generous lover, Rainier learned, and while it wasn’t language she often found herself using, she felt  _ blessed  _ to be on the receiving end of his affections. To put it in plain terms, Harvey loved eating pussy.

“ _ Oh _ ,” Rainier exhaled, moaning as Harvey’s warm tongue came down on her clitoris. Usually he took his time, teasing her folds, running his tongue all around the area he knew she wished he would pay more attention to. Today though, with time of the essence, he moved with more intention, forgoing foreplay and instead licking firm circles around her clit while sucking just slightly, a move that Rainier always moaned the loudest for, and sunk two of his fingers inside her. Back arching off the bed and hips lifting up into his mouth, Rainier cursed, “ _ Fuck _ , Harvey!”

Smiling against her wet folds, he kept his mouth steady, fingering her faster. Short, sharp gasps contracted Rainier’s chest, her hands twisted in the loose top sheet, pulling the fabric in an attempt to do something with the overwhelming pleasure. Harvey was precise, bringing her to orgasm often faster than she had ever been able to bring herself. Practically panting, Rainier tried to warn him of her approaching release, but words had officially escaped her. Attentive, Harvey noticed the tightening around his fingers, the slight resistance to his thrusts, extra force required to continue fucking her through her orgasm. 

“Harvey,” she broke her silence, crying out, briefly worried that perhaps she was too loud considering that the general store was next door, “ _ Harvey _ , oh please, Harvey,”

Rainier thought that seeing stars behind your eyes was hyperbole until very recently, when she honestly began to see constellations in the lids of her eyes as she came. Few sounds elicited such a joyful feeling in Harvey’s chest like the sound of Rainier cumming. It was always an octave higher than her usual moans, and a lot needier, often pleading, and his favorite, begging him not to stop. Slowing his hand and lifting his mouth off her, Harvey looked up from where he was between her legs. 

Chest still heaving, Rainier was smiling as she caught her breath, too tangled up in the high of her orgasm to open her eyes quite yet. Harvey wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, carefully sitting up, crawling back up her body to rest beside her. 

“Thank you,” Rainier breathed, and Harvey smiled, pressing a kiss into her shoulder, “Anytime, Rainier.”

They both knew that he meant that.

Rainier wasn’t necessarily trying to be sneaky. However, when she heard Shane’s familiar voice she cursed under her breath.

“Well, look who it is,” Shane smirked, chicken in hand. He spotted Rainier walking in the main entrance of the farm, now one of her feet planted on the front porch, getting ready to go inside. 

“Don’t,” Rainier warned with a laugh, knowing he wouldn’t be able to help himself. Ignoring her request, he started working through all the jokes he had thought of while working alone for a couple hours this morning, “Is that the same outfit you wore yesterday? You’d think with all the time you’re spending over there you’d keep a change of clothes.”

Sighing, Rainier sat down on the edge of the porch, knowing they were just getting started, “Goodmorning, Shane.”

“Almost afternoon,” this made her roll her eyes, because it wasn’t even 10:00 AM yet, but she continued, asking, “How was your weekend?”

Ceasing his teasing, he responded, “Pretty good, actually.”

This made Rainer raise her eyebrows, and he elaborated before she had to pry more, “I was hanging out with Emily.”

“Emily, Emily?” she clarified, making sure he was referencing his long running friend. He hummed in confirmation, continuing, “Yeah, crazy one, blue hair, has that cool bird.”

“Anyway,” he had set the chicken down, coming to lean against the porch post near where Rainier was sitting, “I think I might ask her out.”

“Shane!” Rainier exclaimed, knowing he hated it when she got this excited, but unable to contain herself, “That’s huge!”

Shane rolled his eyes, “Don’t get too excited.”

“Too late,” Rainier stood up, wrapping her arms around him, giving him a tight squeeze, “I am so happy for you.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Shane was getting better at accepting intimacy, and spoke honestly as she pulled back, “Emily is weird, but I like that about her. She believes in all kinds of shit I’ve never even heard of,” he paused, clearing his throat, “Hell, she even believes in me.”

If Rainier wasn’t committed to meeting him in the middle with how much of a sap she could be, she might cry. Instead, she smiled at him, feeling her chest glow with happiness for him. 

“Where are you going to take her? You’re going to have to get something nicer to wear, you know,” Rainier started rambling, both of them starting to walk towards the greenhouse to at least get some work done while they caught up, “Tell me everything.”

Shane groaned but smiled, happier than ever.

—

“I was thinking we could go for a walk.” Rainier suggested, pulling a knit sweater over her long sleeve shirt. Harvey was sitting on her couch, laptop on the coffee table in front of him, half-full cup of coffee next to that, fingers moving quickly over the keys to finish up some charting. Looking up from the screen, he smiled in her direction before returning his focus to the device, “That sounds lovely. I’ll be done in just a moment.”

Rainier hummed, running her hand over the top of his shoulders as she passed him on the way to the kitchen. The woodstove was going, slowly filling the cabin with delightful heat, welcome after a chilly day out in the field. Shane and Rainier spent most of the week turning the fields over for the winter, pulling out the remaining crops, and laying down hay and silage tarps to protect the soil microbiome they tended so carefully all year from the harsh winter. Garlic went in the ground, the bulbs hidden beneath thick layers of compost, the fruits of that labor not to be seen for months to come.

Though she and Harvey were seeing each other much more often than before, even speaking on the phone some evenings, weekdays seldom held time for them to see each other. However, for three weekends in a row now, the two had made a habit of shacking up for the duration of their time off, alternating between the farm and the clinic. 

Soon the days would grow even darker, and Rainier was determined not to let these last sacred daylight hours pass her by. Last fall she managed to miss the final good days for outdoor activities, and it made the winter harder, unable to remember the last time she got to enjoy a good walk without having to put her snowshoes on. Today though, she thought about showing Harvey one of her secret corners of town, a place she had yet to see anyone else exploring. There was a path in Cindersap Forest that branched off to a tree covered clearing. The Wizard referred to it very literally as the secret woods. No one knew how it ended up there, and there wasn’t a lot of legend or folklore surrounding it like other parts of town. However, it was one of the most beautiful and peaceful places that Rainier had ever been. The space seemed to exist outside of the traditional seasons that they knew, held in a perpetual spring for most of the year, only to ice over during the winter. 

Once Harvey finished up his work for the day, they walked, hand in hand through the farm and down to the southern entrance. 

“This is one of my favorite places to walk.” Harvey smiled as they entered the thicker part of the Cindersap Forest, some of the fall foliage still hanging on to the healthy trees, some spatterings of moss along the forest floor still green. Rainier agreed, wondering for a moment if maybe he too had seen the secret woods. The further they went though, the more she realized this was not the case, his hand squeezing hers a little tighter as the thick overhead cover of tree branches and the approaching sunset made it quite dark. 

Turning down the trail, Harvey looked around, surprised to see that the trees in this direction weren’t nearly as autumn-like, in fact, there was still quite a bit of green. The tree trunks even looked moist, as if it had been raining, when as far as he knew, there had been a few dry, windy days in a row now. 

Harvey started to ask, “Where—”

But his words stopped in his throat as they came out to a small clearing, the entire world suddenly shifting around them, the difference almost making him dizzy. Harvey stood in absolute awe of the forest surrounding him. The air glimmered with orbs of light that he could not identify as illusions of the mind or familiar fireflies. The trees were a deeper green in this cove, the grass vibrant. The pond in the distance was perhaps the most crystal blue he had ever seen, and when his eyes landed back on Rainier, his mouth was agape.

“This is incredible.” he said to her, rotating where he stood to take it all in. Rainier smiled, nodding in agreement. There were a few different stone statues deeper in the clearing near the pond, what he assumed must be an altar. 

“How did you find this?” he asked, unsure if he could recall the path they took to end up here. Rainier sat down on the grass as Harvey continued to stand, looking up and around himself. 

“It was an accident, actually,” Rainier explained, “I was chopping up a fallen tree to harvest hardwood. Then I followed the path it had been blocking and ended up here.”

Harvey joined her on the ground, having a lot of questions, but knowing that there weren’t always answers for some of the more peculiar parts of their universe here in the valley. Most of all, he was stunned by the fact that it didn’t even really look like late autumn in this corner of the woods. It was still so full of life, while the woods that hugged the rest of town were beginning their descent to grey for the approaching long winter. 

Beside him, Rainier had laid down onto her back, her feet still planted on the ground, knees bent. Sighing, she let her eyes fall shut, succumbing to the ethereal peace of the secret woods. Harvey took her lead, unable to remember the last time he laid in the grass, the first recollection to come to mind dating all the way back to childhood. Between curiosity and the insistence of his health-conscious colleagues, Harvey had attempted many different yoga and breathwork classes over the years. None of them were ever particularly enjoyable, Harvey often met resistance as soon as they asked him to close his eyes and relax. His mind moved quickly from the moment he woke up, often until the last second before he would drift to sleep. But here, in this mystic forest, beside Rainier, Harvey let his eyes flutter shut, his arms relaxed by his sides, palms up. For a moment, he understood peace in the way that he hadn’t quite before. That it was a state of being. He now recognized that it was peace that he recognized but couldn’t name in Rainier, something that she both embodied and bestowed upon him. 

How much time had passed was beyond Harvey now, his entire body relaxed into the plush earth beneath him. Rainier eventually opened her eyes again, slowly sitting up, the movement not enough to stir Harvey. Looking at him, she smiled, eyes a little heavy. He looked relaxed, maybe the most relaxed she had ever seen him. There were no lines on his face, no dimples or forehead crinkles, his lips just barely parted. Rainier found Harvey incredibly handsome.

Maybe it was the “ _ honeymoon _ ” phase, the newness of it all, but Rainier found herself insatiable. Biting her bottom lip, she briefly wondered just how private it was out here. Technically the  _ closest  _ adjoining property was her own, the next being Rasmodious’, who she knew had an intense preference for minding his business. Either way, not a soul would know they were out here, or what they were doing, for that matter. Rainier rose to her knees, hobbling closer to Harvey before placing a hand over his, not wanting to startle him. Harvey made a sound of acknowledgment, his eyes still closed, fingers flexing beneath her hand. Swinging one leg over his middle, Rainier planted herself on top of him, sending Harvey’s eyes open. 

“Hey,” he spoke, palms rubbing over her legs, happy to see her.

“Do you trust me?” Rainier asked, breathlessly from the anticipation, a grin on her face. Harvey nodded, chuckling, “With my entire life, evidently.” 

“Good,” she smirked, her hips lifting off his, knees shifting in the grassy earth as she backed herself up down his body. Harvey watched curiously, propping himself up on his elbows. His eyebrows went up when Rainier grabbed the button to his pants, quickly undoing it before sliding the zipper down. Heart rate picking up, he nervously asked, “Oh?”

Rainier was shimmying his pants off now, and even though he didn’t feel quite like he could believe what was happening, he lifted his hips for her, gasping when he put his bare skin back against the ground. Truly a new sensation, he was surprised that he didn’t dislike it, actually, he quite liked it. An easy to please man, Harvey was already sprouting an erection, just from the excitement and joy of being touched by Rainier. Who was now working her own pants off, eyes still on Harvey, a blush inducing look in her eyes. 

Putting the pieces together, Harvey fell back onto the grass, groaning happily when Rainier climbed on top of him again, her thighs sandwiching him, her bare folds rubbing against his cock. His hands came to grip the top of her thighs, where the flesh creased and transitioned to her hips. Folding over, Rainier leant down to kiss Harvey, pressing their clothed chests together. They both moaned into the kiss, heat building. Rocking her hips, Rainier rubbed her clit up and down his shaft, no longer kissing as much as moaning against his lips as she moved faster, the throbbing almost unbearable. 

Harvey had lifted his neck to meet her kiss but let his head fall back against the ground now, squirming a bit beneath her, desperate for more. Sitting back on the heels of her feet, Rainier lifted just enough to get her hand between them, giving his cock a few firm pumps before lining his head up with her entrance. In one swift motion, she sat back down on top of him, a low groan ripping from his chest as she settled at the hilt, completely burying him inside of her. 

“ _ Rainier _ ,” he moaned through clenched teeth, back briefly arching off the grass, hands gripping her hips harder. The most delightful sigh left her lips, her head thrown back, neck stretched. Harvey watched incredulously as she began to ride him, rising up and bouncing back down, breasts moving beneath her shirt. Rainier used her extended fingers to keep a sense of balance, the tips pressing into his lower abdomen. Getting the hang of it, she moved faster, short, breathy moans escaping her. 

To her pleasure, Harvey’s hands began to grip her almost painfully, torn between holding her against him and letting her keep working his cock. Core burning, Rainier leant down again to capture his mouth, hips shifting to a different stroke at this angle, her hands planted on either side of his head as she rolled her hips up and down his length. 

“Harvey,” she moaned shakily, this position much more gratifying for her. Harvey’s hands had roamed from her hips to the round of her ass, gripping the flesh there, spreading her as she eagerly fucked him. This made her breath hitch, his name getting broken into a series of moans and cries, the arms that held her up starting to shake. 

The tightness in Harvey’s groin teetered on unbearable, and he struggled to keep his hips from thrusting up into her between her strokes. He could feel her getting ready to shift positions, attempting to sit up again. Wanting to keep her close, he quickly moved his arms to wrap around her waist, the force of his hold sending her into his chest, her arms falling to their sides. Rainier half laughed, half moaned from the fall. Attempting to keep her hips moving at this angle, she whimpered, wanting more but unable to move enough in this position. The complaint was short lived, Harvey’s hands releasing her, only to grab her wrists and pin them to her lower back before wrapping his arms back around her, effectively holding her in place. 

Rainier turned her face to the side, pressing her cheek into his sternum, briefly wondering what was about to happen. Harvey answered her thoughts with a thrust, sending a loud moan right out of her, “ _ Fuck _ ,” 

From this angle, Harvey could thrust up into her, his heels planted into the earth, lower abdomen engaged, lifting his hips. One of his arms was wrapped around her middle, hand on her waist, the other shifted up around her shoulders, palm open over the base of her skull. Rainier had no control of her moans now, the force that he was able to fuck her with took her breath away. Being held in place was both deeply comforting and extremely arousing as an act of dominance, both of which had Rainier quickly approaching her orgasm, her cries growing even louder, arms squirming in his hold as she needed to grab, squeeze, dig her fingers into  _ something _ .

She couldn’t though, his thrusts and hold unrelenting, giving her no choice but to surrender to her orgasm with a moan that almost broke into a sob, Harvey’s name coming out on a loop, “Harvey,” she cried, “ _ Harvey, Harvey, please, oh my, _ ”

Letting himself go completely, Harvey felt his groin tighten, hands gripping Rainier harder while he moaned louder. With one particularly deep thrust, Harvey felt his hips stutter, his eyes rolling back in his head as he came, thrusts not slowing quite yet.

“Rainier,” he panted in her ear, “ _ Rainier.”  _

Her moans were higher pitched now that she came, her pussy growing more sensitive with each thrust. Spilling inside her, Harvey slowed before coming to a complete stop, hips coming back to the ground, legs relaxing. 

Harvey loosened his hold on her, relaxing into the grass, his entire body warm. Rainier slowly sat up with a sigh, her vulva tender against him. Making eye contact, they held their gaze, lips red and cheeks pink, eyes glossy. A soft sound came from Rainier first, almost a chuckle, in awe of what just happened. Next Harvey spoke, removing his glasses so he could rub his eyes with his knuckles, a shy, but cheeky grin exposing his teeth, “I’m not sure what just came over me.”

This made Rainier laugh, carefully maneuvering herself off his lap, eliciting a moan from both of them, “I hope it comes over you again.”

Gathering their things, the two quickly got dressed again, laughing at the humor of the situation. 

“You know, I’ve never had sex outdoors before,” Harvey admitted as they began walking back to the farmhouse, the last of the sun rays only visible on the horizon now. This didn’t worry him too much, he knew that Rainier knew this land like the back of her hand. Continuing to lead them, she chuckled, “That was my first time as well.” 

“Mm,” Harvey wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her into his side as they walked, “The first of many firsts together, I hope.”

Rainier hummed happily, knowing her cheeks were warm with a blush. As they got closer to the house, the windows dark but the single porch light lit, it’s light spreading far into the darkness around it, she mused, “I was thinking about making some mushrooms for dinner, maybe with potatoes?”

Harvey never had any complaints, about anything, really, but especially not home cooked meals from Rainier. Cooking was something that Harvey enjoyed but rarely felt like he had the bandwidth to focus on in his day to day life. Most of his meals were built with health and utility in mind, very rarely prioritizing flavor or interest. Rainier cooked with joy for not only cooking but for the ingredients. In every bite he could tell that it was important to her that the vegetables she cooked with were celebrated, not muted. 

“I could help, if you’d like.” Harvey offered, holding the door open for Rainier, letting her walk past before following, shutting the door behind them. Most evenings she convinced him to relax, which he didn’t protest, very happy to watch her. Perhaps it was the newness, but Harvey found himself enthralled with her. She made the simplest movements look beautiful, the way she chopped onions was graceful, the slight swing in her hips when a song she liked came on made his chest hurt.

“I would love that,” Rainier smiled, headed for the kitchen, flipping the sink on and immediately washing her hands. As Harvey followed suit, Rainier flipped on her bluetooth speaker, opening her phone and clicking a few times to pull up a quiet playlist. In the fridge she pulled out a bunch of ingredients, some mushrooms, chickpeas, and rainbow chard. Harvey made himself useful, grabbing the big wooden cutting board from where it was leant next to the stove and a knife from the block. 

Passing him some things to get started with, she pressed her side into his as she instructed, “Slice, please.”

“Yes ma’am,” Harvey responded, smiling at the small container she presented him, a delightful variety of what looked like foraged mushrooms. Rainier pulled her favorite pan out, a sturdy enamel cast iron skillet that her mother bought her as a housewarming present. It was just like the one she grew up eating meals out of as a child, and Rainier used it almost every day. 

The two buzzed around each other, Harvey taking whatever project she passed him while she started browning the mushrooms, adding thyme, tamari and balsamic vinegar. The steam puffing off filled the air with the delightful aromatics, and Harvey moaned where he was now in charge of dutifully monitoring the pot of boiling potatoes. 

“Where did you learn to cook like this?” Harvey asked as he watched Rainier, in a separate pan, cook down the now sliced rainbow chard, before adding it to the pan with the mushrooms with a bit of freshly pressed garlic. 

“Many, many cookbooks,” she used her shoulder to gesture to the left, guiding Harvey’s eyes to a small bookshelf mounted on the wall beside her fridge, her hands busy dumping rinsed chickpeas to the mix. Abandoning his post, Harvey walked over to the shelf, looking up at the spines that were just beyond eye level. Most of the books had some visible wear to them, the spines cracked on some, small tears and snags on the hardcover corners. 

Reaching up, he ran his fingers along the row, stopping at one that looked particularly interesting, pulling the book out and flipping through the first few pages. There were sticky notes stuck to some of the pages already, all different colors and sizes. A few of the corners were dogeared, certain sections of longer text even highlighted. Some pages had smaller pieces of paper stuck into them, Harvey pulled one out, a smile on his face as he read Rainier’s clearly rushed script.

There were notes about the recipe, parts of the process where she got stuck, flavors she didn’t enjoy, any edits she made that were successful. It felt like a peek into her brain, a glance at the process. Harvey turned to her, cookbook still in hand, “You read all these?”

Rainier looked at him, wooden spoon in hand, the pan now covered with it’s lid, simmering beneath audible, “Yes, I love cookbooks.” she chuckled, “They’re like textbooks for the kitchen.”

This made Harvey smile so hard it hurt, his eyes softening as he looked at her, fondly, “You’re such a dork.”

“Your potatoes are almost done,” Rainier teased, looking to the bubbling pot, some of the starchy water jumping over the edge, splattering down on the cooktop below, the flames sizzling loudly for a moment. Harvey made a surprised sound, quickly putting the cookbook back where he found it, making Rainier laugh, his urgency humoring her. 

Grabbing the nearby dishtowel, Harvey grabbed the handles of the pot, walking carefully to the sink, dumping the contents into the strainer below. Steam rushed from the sink, billowing out around Harvey, fogging the window the sink looked out over. Rainier quickly mashed the potatoes, adding some fresh cream and butter before piling it on top of the mushrooms in the skillet, smoothing it evenly over the surface. She then put the whole pan into the oven, closing the door before saying, “Now we wait 20 minutes and we’ll have mushroom shepherd's pie.”

Harvey smiled, “I feel like I learn something new from you every day.”

Rainier blushed again, busying herself with the few dirty dishes that remained from the last few steps, asking, “What did you learn today?” 

Harvey leant his hip against the adjoining countertop, “Well, two things. First, what a potato ricer is,” this made Rainier chuckle, “Second, how to actually cook mushrooms. I’ve never been able to get mine that brown.”

Done washing dishes, Rainier opened a nearby drawer, pulling out a pack of matches and a candlestick, placing it in a nearby brass candle holder.

“Not to already be thinking about breakfast,” she struck the match along the side of the box, bringing the tip to the wick, holding it there just long enough to light it before pulling back, the flame of the match growing to its peak just before she shook it out, tossing the extinguished nub into the sink, “But I was thinking we could make pancakes.”

Harvey let his eyes roll back a little as he moaned, “ _ Yoba _ , you’re too good to me.”

Flattered by his eagerness, Rainier pulled her outer sweater over her head, warmer now that the stove and oven were running. Harvey loved to watch her, and he did just that, head falling back slightly, a stupid grin on his face. Catching his gaze, Rainier folded her sweater loosely before tossing it over the back of a chair, shaking her head a little, a shy smile lifting her lips, a tick of her nervousness. Already taking a step in that direction, she asked, “Want to go to the couch?” 

Harvey nodded, following. He sat down, putting his arm out over the back of the couch. They had fallen into little rituals with each other already, one of which was reading a little while they waited for dinner to cook. Most of their meals had to simmer or bake by this time of year, more root vegetables and hearty greens making appearances. In the nature of living on a farm, Rainier gravitated towards a plant forward diet, only incorporating her own animal products as exceptions. This lifestyle agreed with her, it was the best she had ever felt. She could feel the difference in the quality of the produce fresh from her land opposed to the stuff shipped to supermarkets from far away in plastic packaging. When she cooked, she wanted to celebrate that. The bounty that nature offered.

Poetry books, snippets from the news, interesting passages that either had read in their own personal reading time, they would read anything really to meaningfully pass the time between them, to connect. Harvey fit well into the slower pace of life Rainier had adopted since fleeing Zuzu, having never fully adopted most modern technology, he wasn’t put off by a lack of smartphone use or television. If anything, he pushed Rainier to think outside of her TV, not just defaulting to putting something on in the background. Tonight they read from a poetry collection that one of Rainier’s friends had mailed her in a book exchange. Harvey held the slim, softcover book open with his thumb and ring finger of one hand, the other wrapped around Rainier, who rested against him, looking ahead at the crackling wood stove as he read aloud to her.

Come let us journey to

the Sky.

I promised the Moon.

All that I come from

All that I have been,

All that I am

All that I come to

All that I touch,

Blossoms from

a thorn,

AROSEAROSE

Love is the condition

of Human Beings

Being Humans.

To be beloved

Is all I need

And whom I love

Is loved indeed,

There never was a Night that

Ended, or began,

Forms breaking

Structures imaged,

Come love,

Love come.

_ Come  _ by Bob Kaufman

Rainier hummed, letting her head fall to rest on the place where his shoulder met his chest. Harvey closed the book completely and set it to the side. They had enough time to read another, but it was nice to sit still for a moment, both of them a little tired now at the end of the week. Rainier yawned, a hand coming up to cover her mouth. 

Again, Harvey confronted that he truly, truly loved Rainier. Without fear of using hyperbole, he knew in his core that she was the best thing that had ever happened to him. For the first time though, he felt the words rise up in his throat, threatening to spill out. If he was a little bolder, or if they had already poured their glass of wine with dinner, he might have come out and said it. The timer went off in the kitchen though, and he held his tongue as Rainier stood up with a quiet sigh, happy that it was time to eat. 

Taking a deep breath, he followed, wiping his hands on his palms. Rainier grabbed the oven mits, carefully pulling the pan from the oven and placing it on the stove. Harvey grabbed the cork and the bottle of wine Rainier had pulled out earlier and left on the counter with two stemless glasses. Neither spoke as he uncorked the bottle and Rainier grabbed a pot trivet, using it to place the skillet on the table with a serving spoon. The sound of glasses getting poured came next while Rainier grabbed the salad she had Harvey prep earlier and put that on the table as well.

Finished pouring, Harvey brought both glasses to the table, waiting to take a seat until he confirmed that Rainier didn’t need anymore help. 

Dinner passed slowly. One of the pleasures of getting to know each other was rarely running out of things to talk about. Both innately curious people, they had many questions for each other between bites and glasses of wine. Coming to the end of a bottle, Rainier stood from the table, still chatting as she pulled another from the cupboard, passing it to Harvey. Happy to oblige, he pulled the cork out, first pouring a glass for Rainier, then himself. 

Rainier sat across from him for a moment, grinning from ear to ear, nothing making her quite as happy as sitting down to a meal with someone she loved.

Someone that she deeply loved. She couldn’t believe that this was the first time that she put it into words, but she loved him. Harvey had moved the candle from the counter to the table with them, the light glowing in his glasses, a smile on his face. Rainier stared at him, her heart starting to beat faster. He noticed her stare and tilted his head to the side a little, eyes crinkling at the corners.

“I love you.” Rainier blurted, eyes going wide once she said it. Harvey’s lips parted now, and she took a deep breath, “I really, really love you.”

Harvey’s look softened, “I love you too, Rainier.”

After a few moments of goofy staring at each other, Rainier stood, grabbing both of their dishes, headed for the sink, her entire body feeling warm. Not with nerves necessarily, but something similar, just softer. Harvey stood as well, taking a shaky breath, the sound of the water running covering it up. One hand grabbed a towel to dry the dishes with, the other came to rest on her lower back, a few fingers sliding beneath the fabric of her shirt to rest on her bare skin. The touch didn’t distract her but she felt aware of it, a pleased hum coming out on her next breath, hands busy running a sponge over the stoneware of the plates.

Harvey accepted a freshly rinsed dish, using both hands to inch the towel around the rim. Opening the cupboard, he carefully placed it with the others, coming back just in time to accept the second one. They worked in silence, finishing the dishes, then wrapping up the leftovers. Little touches were exchanged in passing, the farmhouse kitchen still small enough that they were never very far from the other. 

They took their time, neither of them had grand plans other than being close. 

“I’m a little sleepy,” Rainier admitted through a yawn, leaning over the counter for a moment to stretch. Harvey agreed, “Let’s go lay down.”

It had crossed both of their minds that staying the night wasn’t usually implied, but when they were able to, neither of them was interested in spending the night anywhere else. Harvey slept on the right side of the bed, which worked well, because Rainier preferred the left. Taking his glasses off, he set them on the end table where Rainier always kept a glass of water for him, a touch that wasn’t missed on him. Rubbing his eyes, he heard Rainier turn the sink on in the bathroom. 

Taking off everything but his briefs, Harvey climbed beneath the linen duvet, making a pleased sound as he settled. Rainier had incredible taste in linens it would seem, the natural fiber soft, the plush pillows enveloping his head. They smelled like her, of course, and he hoped that even when he spent more nights than not with her, that they would still hold that smell. In the bathroom, Rainier gently rubbed a warm washcloth over her face, just wiping the day off, not quite committing to a full cleanse, though she knew that she should. 

The clothing she was wearing got tossed in the laundry hamper, and she briefly emerged from the bathroom naked. Harvey made another happy sound at the sight. Opening the dresser, she pulled out one of her baggy sleep shirts, something that had been worn to the point of softness over the years. Forgoing any bottoms, she climbed beneath the covers, sighing as she settled beside Harvey. At the end of the day, climbing into bed always managed to be a pleasure. Especially when Harvey was waiting for her.

“C’mere,” Harvey’s voice started to get lower when he was tired. 

Sliding closer, she nuzzled into his outstretched arm. He was laying on his back, and she brought her cheek to his shoulder, hand opening over his chest. Harvey’s arm curled around her, fingers dancing over her exposed skin. They chatted for a bit, but mostly sat in silence, listening to each other's breath. Eventually, as he always did when he had the pleasure of being this close to her, Harvey’s hands started to wander. Starting innocently on her hip, then slowly traveling lower, grabbing her ass, spreading her. Rainier moaned, curling closer. 

“You’re not too tired,” his voice reverberated through his chest, “Are you?”

Rainier answered by climbing on top of him, pressing their chests together. Hoving over his face, Rainier smiled before kissing him, his mustache tickling beneath her nose. To her delight, he was already quite hard, his firm length pressing against her thigh and lower stomach. Licking her way past his lips, she tangled her tongue with his, moaning into his mouth when he squeezed her ass again. Two of his fingers traveled a bit further, the length of his arms allowing him to tease at her wet entrance.

“Mm,” he groaned as her warmth surrounded his digits. 

“ _ Ah _ ,” Rainier inhaled, one of her hands coming to cup his jaw as she arched into his touch, “That feels good.”

Harvey hummed as he began to move his fingers in and out of her slowly. A month of getting tangled up together had them quite familiar with each other’s bodies, and Rainier relished in what Harvey knew about her now. She reached between them to pull his cock through the slit of his briefs, not bothering to take them all the way off. The contact made Harvey take a sharp breath, the hand that was inside her stilling when she sat up on top of him. 

For the second time that day, Rainier lowered herself onto his cock, a shaky moan leaving her chest. Head pressed back into the pillows, Harvey’s wet fingertips pressed into the thick of Rainier’s hips, a guttural moan in his throat as he guided her to the hilt. 

“Yoba,” he groaned, startled yet again by just how good it felt to be inside her. The sound made Rainier smile, her eyes closed, teeth exposed, a look that almost always made Harvey’s stomach tighten. Her thrusts were careful, adjusting to the stretch of him. Leaning down, she kissed him, breath shaking. 

Harvey sat up, bringing Rainier with him, his hands bracing her as he shifted so he could hold himself up, legs bent but outstretched. Rainier was still seated on top of him, their kiss deepened, chests pressing together. At this angle, all Rainier really had to do was lift through her thighs, the little rise and roll in her hips enough to make both of them breathe heavier. Rainier rode him slowly, a particularly decadent stroke sending her head back in ecstasy, lips wet with his saliva. The pace they kept was slow. Harvey’s mouth opened against her throat, hot breath fanning over warming body. He ran his open palms up her back, moaning into her skin.

Everything was warm, and sweaty, and so very much her. It was almost overwhelming, the deep, shaking pleasure in his core, the shared breath. It was love making, or making love, whatever it wanted to be called. It was complete, all consuming, love.

“Harvey,” Rainier moaned, bringing her gaze back to him. Harvey looked into her eyes and she held him there, unknowingly putting on the most incredible show with her face. Her eyelashes fluttered, eyelids threatening to close as her eyes attempted to roll back in her head on each down stroke. Lips red, her mouth was slightly open to let her lofty moans out. With a surprisingly high moan, he leant forward and captured her lips again, pressing his palms firmly into her back, pulling her impossibly closer as he kissed her. 

They both pulled back with quiet moans, Rainier’s almost sounding like a whimper, her thighs growing tired, a pleasant burn coming over them. Above that, she wanted more, the slow, tender pace they set bringing her painfully close to the edge she wished to tumble over. Moving a little faster, her breath quickened, speaking against his lips, “Harder,  _ please _ ,”

Flexing his leg muscles and planting his heels into the mattress, Harvey thrusted up into her, a surprised moan sending her head back again as he buried himself much deeper than before. 

“ _ Ah _ ,” Rainier moaned, as if punctuating each thrust, feeling so close, and so tired, the sounds she made growing more desperate. Throat tender from all the guttural moaning, she cried his name, burying her face in his neck. Harvey groaned, hands shifting from cradling her closer to gripping her hips. With a yelp from her, he tilted them both forward, sending Rainier onto her back.

Before she could whine about the loss of contact, he slid his cock back inside her, kneeling between her legs. Thrusting hard, he cried out this time, the sound coming from deep in his stomach. He kept his eyes on Rainier, her breasts bouncing, cheeks red and eyelids low. Feeling like she couldn’t take much more, Rainier arched her back off the mattress, knees tucked up to her chest, hands down at her sides, clawing at the sheets. Not only harder, but faster now, Harvey fucked her, the sound of their lower halves colliding filling the air along with incessant moans from Rainier, who began to shudder with her approaching orgasm.

“ _ Harvey _ ,” she repeated again and again, “Oh,  _ Harvey _ , I’m so close, I’m so close,”

A relieved moan left his contracting abdomen and his eyes pinched shut, pace faltering with the tightening of her walls. The whole feeling was all too much, and he shouted her name when he released, not quite buried inside of her, his seed spilling out of her gaped entrance. His moans slowed down as his hips came to a stop, fingers loosening their hold on her hips.

Rainier caught her breath, hands coming up to push her hair off her forehead, skin dewy with sweat. Harvey slowly pulled his cock out, moving to the side before lowering himself onto the bed beside her. If she was tired before, she was exhausted now, her entire body feeling loose. She exhaled loudly, the sound trailing off into a chuckle, “I’m spent.”

Harvey shared the sentiment, responding with a gruff laugh, the haze of his orgasm making it hard to form coherent words. 

Closing his eyes, Harvey let his mind drift. While their age difference didn’t come up very often, mostly because Rainier was completely unphased by it, days like today made him feel lucky to be with someone younger than him. Perhaps it was cheesy, but it really felt like she was going to keep him young. Hell, even when he was young he couldn’t remember having this much sex, let alone this much  _ good _ sex. 

Life quickly slowed down when he became a doctor in the valley. Early bedtimes became the norm along with less and less going out. Working in a hospital was naturally much more socially demanding than his small, private practice. Nowadays he only went to socials with other physicians in rural towns nearby once a month, and a conference once or twice a year. There were a few friends left to see in the city, and of course his family, but other than that he didn’t have much of a reason to be there. Sometimes he worried that he overcorrected and became too withdrawn too early. That he was limiting himself and the connections he could have.

Rainier on the other hand glowed with vitality. Her desire to simply  _ do _ as much as she could was inspiring before they got into a relationship. Everyone in town could see the tenacity in her, even with as humbly as she presented herself. Now, with a front row seat, Harvey felt the beams of her energy shining on him, and he knew that as long as she would have him, he would soak it up. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love reading your comments! This is definitely me fishing for them! 
> 
> Until next time x


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